Obituary

Death of distinguished Australian philosopher John Ziegler

John Young

Contents - Aug 2007 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Census 2006: 'No religion' up, Christians down Lex orandi: Benedict XVI's liturgical armistice: 'Summorum Pontificum' - Fr Glen Tattersall Events: LATIN MASS CELEBRATIONS - Melbourne and Sydney University: Australian Catholic students' conference: 'an inspiring experience' - Br Barry Coldrey News: The Church Around the World World Congress of Families: grass roots ecumenism at work - Babette Francis Society: Defending faith and reason in public life - Eamonn Keane Catholics and the pornography epidemic - Bishop Robert Finn Why Catholic parents choose home-schooling - Leslie Sammut Obituary: Death of distinguished Australian philosopher John Ziegler - John Young Catholic students' joyful encounter with the Church's sacred music treasury - Gabrielle Walsh Letters: Vatican II infallible? - Frank Mobbs Letters: Stem cell 'debate' - Chris Hilder Letters: Breath of hope - Terry and Rosemary McDonnell Letters: Catholic politicians - Patricia Halligan Letters: Truth and courage - Errol P. Duke Letters: 'Staunch' Catholics? - Frank Bellet Letters: Study leave - Eamonn Keane Poetry: Shrapnel - Bruce Dawe Letters: Combating AIDS - Franklin J. Wood Letters: Education campaign - Henry Erftemeyer Letters: Fixing the schools - G. Brian Bibby DOES YOUR PARISH STOCK AD2000? Books: Jesus of Nazareth: Baptism to Transfiguration, by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Books: The World's First Love, by Fulton J. Sheen - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Books: AD2000 Books Reflection: The Assumption: how the Christian arts honour the Virgin Mary

John William Ziegler, who died on 13 June 2007 at the age of 78, was one of Australia's best philosophers.

As a young man in the 1940s he began studies at the Aquinas Academy in Sydney, which was founded by Dr Austin Woodbury SM in 1945.

The Academy under Dr Woodbury, who was a genius in philosophy and theology, provided thorough courses based on the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas.

John Ziegler took full advantage of the wisdom offered, and later became a teacher there himself. In more recent years he taught a range of philosophical courses at the Centre for Thomistic Studies in Sydney. He was lecturing at the Centre only a fortnight before his death.

He held a Bachelor of Science degree and became manager of a large firm. He had a keen interest in mathematics and wrote poetry, as well as many articles on philosophical and related topics.

Unassuming in manner, with a keen sense of humour, he liked the magazine Mad from its inception, and used to chuckle at the jokes there. He could speak on deep subjects in a way that brought them alive in the minds of the listeners. He was approachable and patient when students had questions.

I recall an article that illustrates his way of throwing the light of true principles on social questions, and doing so with a humorous play on words. He was writing about the way people can be treated as mere means to an end. Viewing this in the light of the classical distinction of good into useful, pleasant and fitting, he pointed out that persons are good in their own right, and are degraded by being seen as merely useful - as when citizens are viewed as pawns to serve some purpose.

As he put it: 'I don't want to be seen as a useful citizen. I'd rather be seen as good for nothing.'

A devoted family man with five children, John nursed his wife Pam in her last illness, until she died about four years ago. He himself had much ill health in his later years, including heart trouble for which he had bypass surgery. But he always maintained his cheerfulness and always kept up his intellectual apostolate.

He was one of that group of dedicated followers of St Thomas Aquinas who maintain the Centre for Thomistic Studies in Sydney, and he will be missed there.

His mind remained clear to the end. Only hours before his death, as he lay in his hospital bed, he related that the doctors gave him up to two or three days to live. He was serene and ready to enter eternity.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 20 No 7 (August 2007), p. 12