Rolf Schock

Rolf Schock (1933–1986), philosopher and artist, was born in France of German parents. His parents, who had left Germany in 1931, would eventually settle in the United States, where Rolf would go on to study geology and psychology, with mathematics as a minor, at the University of New Mexico. After completing a bachelor of arts in 1955 he pursued studies in philosophy and logic at UCLA from 1956 to 1960, and in 1960 moved to Stockholm, Sweden, to specialize in theoretical philosophy at Stockholm University. He was awarded an intermediate post-graduate degree in 1964 and a Ph.D. in 1968, which was followed by an appointment as associate professor at Uppsala University in the following year.

During the period 1964-1969 he also studied at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm and he devoted a lot of his time to painting and photography on the side of conducting research. He was devoted to researching the field of logic, in philosophy, but never held a permanent position, earning a living by temporary teaching assignments at universities and night-schools. For some years he was affiliated with the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where the taught a series of courses.

In 1986 Rolf Schock was killed in an accident. To much surprise he left a large estate and a will that instituted the Schock Prizes, which have been awarded every two years since 1993.