Rate My Professor Archie Bahm

Archie J. Bahm was Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Mexico, joining the faculty in 1948 and teaching until 1973, after which he became Professor Emeritus. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. A dedicated student and teacher of ethics for forty years, Bahm served as Acting Chair of the Department of Philosophy from 1954 to 1955 and again from 1964 to 1965. In 1949, he founded the UNM 21 Club to facilitate dialogue among faculty from the university's then-21 departments, a tradition that continues with distinguished scholars. That same year, he organized the Humanist Society of Albuquerque, which operated for several years before merging with the Unitarian Church. Bahm was organizer, past president, and past secretary-treasurer of the New Mexico Philosophical Society. He contributed to numerous committees promoting philosophical exchange and signed Humanist Manifesto II. In 1977, the American Humanist Association named him Humanist Pioneer of the Year.

Bahm authored and edited a wide array of works, including Philosophy: An Introduction (1953), Why Be Moral? (1992), The Philosopher's World Model (1979), Philosophy of the Buddha, The Heart of Confucius: Interpretations of Genuine Living and Great Wisdom, Comparative Philosophy: Western, Indian, and Chinese Philosophies Compared, Epistemology: Theory of Knowledge, Ethics: The Science of Oughtness, Metaphysics: An Introduction, Polarity, Dialectic, and Organicity, and Axiology: The Science of Values. He compiled and edited multiple editions of the Directory of American Philosophers from 1968 to 2003, establishing it as a key reference for philosophers in the United States and internationally. His scholarship focused on ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, axiology, comparative philosophy encompassing Western, Indian, and Chinese traditions, as well as interpretations of Eastern thinkers like Confucius, Lao Tzu, and the Buddha. Through his extensive publications, editorial contributions, and organizational leadership, Bahm advanced philosophical discourse and humanist ideals within academia and the broader community.