Robert Solomon (1942-2007)

As Brian Leiter reports, Robert Solomon passed away suddenly on January 2nd.  Solomon’s philosophical interests were jaw-droppingly broad, even within ethics alone–virtue ethics (Aristotle’s and Nietzsche’s versions), business ethics, emotions, existentialism, happiness.  But his interests were all motivated, from what I could tell, by a desire to understand a life well-lived.  Hence, his more than forty books and one hundred fifty articles include The Passions: Emotions and the Meaning of Life (Doubleday, 1976), Ethics and  Excellence (Oxford, 1992), Spirituality for the Skeptic: The Thoughtful Love of Life (Oxford, 2002), The Philosophy of (Erotic) Love (with Kathleen Higgens, University Press of Kansas, 1991), and The Joy of Philosophy (Oxford, 1999).  I still use Robert’s Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings (8th Ed., Oxford, 2005) in my intro courses, since his text is, in parts, inspirational even to me.  Keep an eye on Leiter Reports for a link to a memorial.  Leiter also links to an episode of "Philosophy Talk", in which Solomon discusses happiness.