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Dewi Zephaniah Phillips (1934 - 2006) commonly known as “D.Z.” was not only a towering figure in modern Anglo-American philosophy but also an exceptionally convivial presence, known for his sharp mind, quick wit, and seemingly limitless supply of stories. Born in 1934 in the Morriston district of Swansea, he maintained a powerful sense of Welsh identity and composed an extensive range of philosophical works in the Welsh tongue. Although his affable nature endeared Phillips to many people, it might occasionally have diverted attention from the reality that he produced an enormous corpus of academic writing, which continues to shape ongoing debates in both the philosophy of religion and moral reasoning.

Phillips began his education at Swansea Grammar School before progressing to University College Swansea. By 1958, he had secured a Master’s qualification and went on to Oxford as a visiting fellow, which culminated in the completion of a BLitt in 1961. Throughout these formative phases, Phillips integrated academic pursuits with pastoral responsibilities at Fabian’s Bay Congregational Church in Swansea, where he preached between 1959 and 1961. Phillips considered remaining in ministry but his passion for philosophical discourse soon drew him back into the world of academia. 

In 1961 Phillips began teaching philosophy at Queen’s College in Dundee (then associated with the University of St. Andrews). He took a lectureship post there for two years, then entered into a brief tenure at the University College of North Wales in Bangor. Upon returning to Swansea in 1965, Phillips became a central figure in the Philosophy Department for many subsequent years. Advanced to Professor of Philosophy in 1971, he went on to take up the duties of Dean and, in due course, Vice Principal at that institution. From 1992, Phillips also held the prestigious Danforth Chair in Philosophy of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, splitting his time between Wales and California. In 1996 he became Rush Rhees Research Professor at Swansea, and eventually Professor Emeritus in 2001.

Though Phillips also wrote extensively on ethics, his major contribution lies in the philosophy of religion, which in some respects can be seen to be a systematic development of nascent themes arising in the later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. His first major work, The Concept of Prayer (1965), challenged common assumptions by arguing that prayer should not be treated as a means to secure desired outcomes. Regarding this way of perceiving the concept as ‘superstitious’ prayer, Phillips compares the notion to magical thinking—where the right words serve as an attempt to manipulate ‘divine will’ or ‘divine power’. In place of this Phillips advocates for a deeper and more authentic form of prayer which serves as a confession of hope, fear, repentance, gratitude, trust, worship and reliance, all of which valuably transform the character of the believer. In this way the key petition of prayer is transmuted from ‘please can I have that’ to ‘please do not let me become that’. In this context Phillips maintains that God is not ‘another being’ in the universe with whom we converse, but rather believers encounter God through practices of contemplation, renunciation, forgiveness, gratitude, and love. Within this framework, petitionary prayer ceases to be a demand for God’s alignment with a believer's narrow wishes and instead becomes a confession of need, offered in the spirit of ‘Thy will be done.’

In his next major publication Death and Immortality (1970), Phillips continued to spur controversy with his non-conventional approach to religious subjects by reimagining the language, purpose, and significance of the concept of ‘eternal life’. The book questions whether talk of immortality is either factual or metaphorical, urging us to interpret it more as an expression of eternal hope, value and meaning. In so doing Phillips adopts a reflective stance on living in an ethical way within the framework of mortality. Key to this practice is the question of whether the search for immortality rests on a selfish desire for more life post-mortem or whether it is better embodied as a turning away from the temporal towards the eternal within this life. Such entails a deeper contemplation of key modes of living embodied in areas like ethics, aesthetics and spirituality. Such an existential stance may involve an aspiration to what Spinoza had put so memorably in his idea of living life sub specie aeternitatis (under the aspect of eternity). 

In Religion Without Explanation (1976) Phillips argues that philosophy clarifies rather than solves religious issues. The book explores the intellectual legacy of David Hume whose framework of understanding paved the way for anthropological and psychological efforts to ‘explain’ religion. Within this framework religions become either a mistaken proto-science or an illusion driven by emotional needs. These analyses are shown to be confused and reductionist, misunderstanding what Wittgenstein called the distinctive grammar of religious language. Instead of approaching religion as a theoretical system for understanding the world, Phillips shifts the focus to how religious statements function as part of believers’ lives. Phillips argues that once we demand that ‘God exists’ be provable like ‘There is a tree,’ we distort faith. For him, the statement ‘god exists’ belongs in its natural home of worship, repentance and ethical seriousness, where believers express profound human passions and deep, enduring moral commitments. In this way faith practices are more instructively seen as what Wittgenstein described as 'language games' within lived religious forms of life, each with its own internal logic and socio-linguistic context of meaning. 

In Philosophy’s Cool Place (1999) Phillips examines the nature of philosophy itself, characterizing it as a disinterested and contemplative pursuit. The discipline is conceived an open-minded and critical clarification of conceptual particulars while actively avoiding the temptation to impose universal criteria of meaning. Here, ‘disinterested’ does not signify a lack of passion or existential investment; rather, it denotes an avoidance of subsuming all assertions under a singular rational or empirical paradigm. Phillips reconceptualizes philosophical inquiry as an exploration of reality's multifaceted landscape, encompassing domains such as history, science, mathematics, literature, ethics, and aesthetics He goes on to develop Wittgenstein’s view that the language of reality is embedded in these forms of life, thereby rejecting any overarching metric of authenticity that supersedes the particularity of meaning in these variegated contexts. The dynamic interaction between living practices, language, and these multifarious forms of life fosters a potential unity of discourse. Within this framework, philosophical reflection is anchored in a profound sense of wonder regarding the very possibility of meaningful dialogue. Phillips emphasises that such a rigorous and granular clarificatory analysis, which Wittgenstein notoriously called "going the bloody hard way" demands a high level of personal discipline and conceptual vigilance in order to avoid investigator bias.

In Phillips’ final book-length work, The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God (2004) he deals with the classical 'logical problem of evil,' rooted in the apparent clash between God’s absolute goodness, limitless power, and the stubborn fact of existent evil. Phillips challenges a popular notion that moral freedom necessarily entails the possibility of wrongdoing. On this view, preventing evil altogether would eliminate genuine freedom and thus nullify authentic moral goodness. Yet Phillips points to extreme suffering—examples like genocide—to show that a God who allows such horrors purely for the sake of free will would appears morally callous. Phillips also criticises ‘consequentialist’ theodicies that regard suffering as an instrument of higher good. While some adversity might foster character growth, the argument falters before atrocities that seem to yield no positive moral outcome but rather degrade human dignity. Elevating a ‘greater good’ can minimize the horror of events like the Holocaust, making God appear to utilize evil for a cosmic plan. Such justifications, Phillips contends, place God in the dubious role of a utilitarian orchestrator who balances suffering against spiritual gains—a stance many find ethically disturbing when confronted with real victims’ agony.  Phillips rather proposes a shift away from contractual notions of God’s covenant and ‘payback’ theodicies, instead foregrounding themes of divine kenosis (self-emptying) and non-coercive love. In the book the symbol of the Cross is held up as a symbol of divine solidarity with suffering rather than a transaction for a future good. This vision emphasizes a love that endures despite affliction and calls believers to witness each other’s pain rather than explain it away. Accordingly, belief in God takes shape within the concrete spiritual practices of a faith community, where expressions of anguish, hope, and renewal attest to the profundity of genuine commitment.

Phillips’ distinctive treatment of the subject-matter created a unique and powerful voice among the Swansea School of applied Wittgensteinian scholarship. However in rebuking oversimplified theories - both sceptical and devout - Phillips garnered critics from multiple directions. Some sceptics accused him of veering toward ‘Wittgensteinian Fideism,’ claiming he subtly assumed an insularity against criticism for religious beliefs. At the same time, certain Christian philosophers charged him with diluting the notion of a transcendent God, particularly in his discussions of life after death. Yet even those who disagreed with Phillips respected his erudition and skill in argument, characteristics that fuelled his lively engagements at conferences worldwide.

In addition to thinkers such as Wittgenstein, Weil and Kierkegaard, a key influence on Phillips was Rush Rhees, a close friend of Wittgenstein and a colleague at the Swansea Philosophy department. Rhees’ distinctive approach to philosophy profoundly shaped Phillips' own thinking. In his later years, he poured considerable effort into arranging and refining Rhees’ unpublished writings. Between 1997 and 2004, Phillips worked unwaveringly on this project, eventually publishing seven collections of Rhees’ philosophical writings. This commitment highlighted his deep reverence for Rhees and demonstrated his own precise and meticulous scholarly methodology. 

Phillips was also well known for writing on subjects that bridged the gap between literature and ethics. Works like From Fantasy to Faith (1991) probed the moral and spiritual dimensions found within fictional narratives, showing how literature can illuminate complex ethical questions. His book on Welsh poet R.S. Thomas, R.S. Thomas: poet of the hidden God (1986), combined close textual analysis with philosophical insight, paying tribute to Thomas’ unique blend of nationalism and spirituality. Phillips also wrote many philosophical works in his native Welsh including Athronyddu Am Grefydd [Philosophising About Religion] (1974) where he contends that philosophical inquiry must engage with religious expressions on their own terms, clarifying rather than explaining religious belief, while respecting its context and lived reality. Phillips was also known for championing artistic initiatives and became a foundational voice in the establishment of the Taliesin Arts Centre on Swansea University campus.

Throughout his prolific career, Phillips presented 13 named lectures, wrote or edited 50 books, contributed over 80 essays to edited volumes, and published in excess of 130 journal articles. For an impressive 24 years he took on the role of editor of the Philosophical Investigations, a journal where he had a significant impact on philosophical discourse. His intellect was matched by his kindness and Phillips was known to encourage promising scholars, initiate creative projects, and nurture friendships—even with those who vehemently disagreed with his ideas.

In 2001, Phillips was awarded the prestigious Danforth Chair of the Philosophy of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, where he organised numerous of conferences examining key topics in the field. These gatherings attracted some of the leading thinkers from around the world, engendering engaging, ongoing debates. The discussions and ideas from those events were published via the Claremont Studies in the Philosophy of Religion series—a collection that is still active today. Phillips would often stand out at such scholarly gatherings, thanks in no small part to his exceptional clarity when discussing the most nuanced and intricate ideas. Wherever he travelled, Phillips displayed a remarkable ability to curate an atmosphere which was both welcoming and open to thoughtful philosophical debate among those with a wide range of perspectives, allowing even the most contrasting ideas to flourish in genuinely inclusive discourse. His acute mind and unwavering commitment to honest, direct conversation often saw him standing out from the crowd. Colleagues still recount how his skills as a raconteur—rich with humour and personal anecdotes—turned him into something of a legend among academic circles.

Phillips died suddenly in 2006 while reading in his cherished library at Swansea University—where he’d produced a substantial body of scholarship and devoted considerable energy to editorial work. The festschrift Ethics of Belief was to be published shortly thereafter celebrating his significant philosophical contributions.  In one of his final notes Phillips expressed the importance of ‘frank discussion’ in tackling philosophical confusion. True to his words, he lived a life that balanced profound inquiry with deep humanity, teaching us that clear understanding need not come at the expense of empathy or genuine interpersonal connection.

Recommended further reading:

Ethics of Belief: Essays in Tribute to D.Z. Phillips

“This volume is presented as a tribute to the life and work of D. Z. Phillips. Six of the articles were originally presented at the annual conference on the philosophy of religion organized by Phillips and held at Claremont Graduate University on February 9–10, 2007. Unfortunately, Phillips did not live to participate in the conference itself. He died unexpectedly on July 25, 2006, in the library of his beloved University of Wales, Swansea. Previously published volumes of essays, based on conferences organized by Phillips in Claremont, included a chapter entitled “Voices in Discussion,” in which Phillips provided his own reactions to the discussions written almost immediately after the conference. Sadly, this volume appears without the addition of his voice.”

D.Z. Phillips' Contemplative Philosophy of Religion: Questions and Responses

“This collection presents a critical discussion and exploration of the late D.Z. Phillips' contemplative approach in the philosophy of religion. What are the main characteristics of this ground-breaking approach, which is inspired by thinkers like Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein and meant as a serious, critical alternative to the mainstream way of doing philosophy of religion? What is its aim, if it is deliberately avoiding apology and defence of faith? How does Phillips' approach relate to systematic, historical and empirical theology and is it really as 'neutral' as he claims it to be? Or is he, perhaps, a certain kind of theologian? What are the implications of his contemplative philosophy for central issues of religious life today, such as petitionary prayer, the hope of 'eternal life' and radical religious diversity? The essays of six distinguished scholars from five different nations critically and sympathetically address these questions and are responded to by Phillips in essays of his own, written briefly before his sudden death in July 2006.”

Interview with Dewi Phillips (external video): 1995 Interview with DZ Phillips Part 1

Selected Books:

Athronyddu Am Grefydd (Philosophising About Religion)

Belief, Change and Forms of Life

Concept of Prayer

Death and Immortality

Faith after Foundationalism

Faith and Philosophical Enquiry

From Fantasy to Faith

Interventions in Ethics

Introducing Philosophy: The Challenge of Scepticism

Kant and Kierkegaard on Religion (co-edited with Timothy Tessin)

Moral Practices (with H O Mounce)

Philosophy's Cool Place

Problem of Evil and the Problem of God

Recovering Religious Concepts

Religion and Friendly Fire

Religion and Hume's Legacy (co-edited with Timothy Tessin)

Religion and the Hermeneutics of Contemplation

Religion without Explanation

R.S. Thomas: Poet of the Hidden God

Sense and Delusion (with Ilham Dilman)

Through a Darkening Glass

Wittgenstein and Religion

Wittgensteinian Fideism? (Co-written with Kai Nielsen)