Brian Herbert Medlin

Brian Herbert Medlin (1927–2004) was Foundation Professor of Philosophy at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1967 to 1988. and played an active role in the campaign against the Vietnam war.

Early life Medlin was born in 1927 in Orroroo, South Australia. He was the younger brother of Harry Medlin, who became the Deputy Chancellor of Adelaide University. He met the British writer and philosopher Iris Murdoch in the early 1960s and on his return to Australia corresponded with her for several decades. Their correspondence was a significant influence on Murdoch's depiction of Australia in her novels. During his Oxford years, he spent a year teaching philosophy in Ghana. In 1967 he was appointed to the newly established Flinders University of South Australia as the Foundation Professor of Philosophy. In 1970, he adopted revolutionary socialism and with colleagues introduced new topics concerned with "applying philosophical methods to current problems and social issues". He developed innovative courses in women's studies, and politics and art, and instituted a student-staff consultative committee. He retired from Flinders in 1988, after a serious motorcycle accident in 1983 had long-term effects on his health. He was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor.

Later career After his retirement from Flinders University, Medlin moved to Victoria with his wife, Christine Vick, and spent some years regenerating a 10-acre property at Wimmera with native vegetation. He retained an interest in many subjects including natural history, literature, current affairs and photography. that continues to be seen as a significant contribution to debates about egoism. For example In 2007, Stephen R.C. Hicks wrote, in reference to this essay, "Brian Medlin was representative" of his generation in tending to skepticism and non-naturalism. His 1963 article "The origin of motion" is discussed in detail in N. Strobach's "The Moment of Change" (2013). Medlin also wrote poetry, which was widely published in Australian periodicals through the 1950s and 1960s, and short fiction, often using the pseudonym Timothy Tregonning. Many unpublished works are in the Brian Medlin Collection