School of Social & Political Sciences

It is with great sadness that colleagues within the School of Social and Political Sciences and the University heard of the passing of our former colleague Michael Lessnoff. Mike was a long serving and much respected member of the Department of Politics for 40 years, ending his career as Reader in Politics. He will be remembered as one of the most acute thinkers of his generation.  

Chris Berry (Emeritus Professor of Political Theory) reflects on meeting Mike in the Department of Politics and Sociology in 1970 "Mike had been an outstanding undergraduate in Politics and Economics in Glasgow, then Snell scholar at Oxford for a two-years Master degree. 

It was clear from the start that Mike was a formidable intellectual presence. Indeed across my now lengthy experience of academic life, I can state that Mike was one of the cleverest people I have ever met. The rigor and clarity of his mind was, however, accompanied without any arrogance....

Intellectually Mike belonged squarely in the Anglo-American tradition of analytical philosophy, following in the steps of Raphael, to whom he dedicated one of his books. He wrote several books. These were not, as he was well-aware, major works of scholarship, but four of them were high-level text-books marked by the clarity of his thinking." His books included The Structure of Social Science (1974), Social Contact (1986), The Spirit of Capitalism and the Protestant Ethic: An Enquiry into the Weber Thesis (1994), Political Philosophers of the Twentieth Century (1999), and Ernest Gellner and Modernity (2002). Chris shared "Weber was a ‘hero’ of Mike’s as to an extent was John Rawls. He was an early critic of Rawls’ work such that when Rawls finally published his magnum opus  (The Theory of Justice) – the most influential book in political philosophy since the Second World War – Mike’s critique was acknowledged in the Preface."

Craig Smith (Professor of the History of Political Thought) reflected that "Generations of Glasgow Politics students experienced the unique intellectual experience of Mike’s APT tutorials. Submitting your essay in advance to allow Mike and your two fellow students the chance to read and critique it was a nerve-wracking experience. The discussions were conducted with his characteristic politeness (always referring to me as Mr Smith), but his focus was laser sharp, and poor arguments would not stand up for long. Many a student would have sighed with relief as they left clutching an essay covered with Mike’s copious annotations. It was only afterwards that you realised that you had learned how to better understand your own thinking and defend your views in a clear and unpretentious fashion. He was a great teacher and a patient and supportive dissertation supervisor." 

Chris Berry noted: "His major contribution lies in his exemplary display of intellectual rigor with a disinterested concern for cogency of argument without fear or favour. Everyone who came in contact with him would have benefited from these qualities. He was always a good colleague not only on a personal level but for upholding the highest values of academic life. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to have had Mike Lessnoff as a friend and colleague."

Mike was a valued colleague, teacher and friend. The School sends it condolences to Mike’s family. 

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First published: 28 August 2024