Richard A. “Red” Watson, professor emeritus of philosophy in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died Sept. 18, 2019, in Wellesley, Mass. He was 88.
Watson was a Descartes specialist and the author of “Cogito, Ergo Sum. The Life of Rene Descartes” (2002).
In addition to philosophy, he was a novelist and a highly skilled spelunker and co-wrote “The Longest Cave” (1987) with Roger W. Brucker. He also wrote “The Philosopher’s Diet. How to Lose Weight and Change the World” and “Solipsism: The Ultimate Empirical Theory of Human Existence,” among other works.
Read the full obituary online.
Note: A memorial service to celebrate Watson’s life had been scheduled for 3 p.m. April 4 in Lopata House on the Danforth Campus. Due to restrictions related to the novel coronavirus, it has been postponed. A new date in the fall will be announced later.