Samuel Martin Thompson

Samuel Martin Thompson (1901–1983) was an American philosopher, frequent contributor to scholarly journals and author of three bestselling textbooks of philosophy. His textbooks were used by many top universities and seminaries in the United States. An expert on the works of philosopher Immanuel Kant, he published analyses of Kant's work. Thompson was also one of the three authors of the Confession of 1967, one of the major statements of faith of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Biography Born March 10, 1902, in Mays, Indiana, he was the first son of Alice Martin Thompson and the Reverend Robert Thompson, an 1894 graduate of Monmouth College of Illinois. He graduated from high school in Des Moines, Iowa. Following in the footsteps of his father, Samuel graduated from Monmouth College in 1924 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He went on to earn the M.A. degree in 1925 and Ph.D. degree in Philosophy in 1931 from Princeton University.

He returned to Monmouth College and served as a professor in the Philosophy Department for 46 years.

Most notable among his publications were two popular textbooks. A Modern Philosophy of Religion (Henry Regnery Company, 1955) became a widely used text book at colleges and universities including Amherst College, Cornell University, Temple University, the University of Nebraska, Oberlin College, Yale Divinity School, the University of Kansas, Drew University, the University of Pittsburgh, St. Olaf College, Syracuse University, Garrett Theological Seminary and others. His second text, The Nature of Philosophy, An Introduction (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1961) was also widely adopted for use in introductory courses in philosophy. He was one of three members of the committee responsible for drafting the document that was adopted by the church as the Confession of 1967. and his philosophical direction of,"In the realm of knowledge there is only one test. That test is more knowledge. This is the case because all knowledge of fact and existence is conditional. The leading edge of our knowledge is always problematic. The criterion of more knowledge is the only alternative I know to authoritarian dogma."

Burial and Honors He died June 20, 1983, in Monmouth and was buried at Warren County Memorial Park Cemetery. He was so revered at Monmouth College that a student society (club) was named in his honor and remained active, as of 2015. An essay contest and lecture series are named after him and continue as of 2026.