Jordan Howard Sobel
| Jordan Howard Sobel | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 22, 1929 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died |
March 26, 2010 (aged 80) Toronto, Ontario |
| Residence | Toronto, Ontario |
| Nationality | American, Canadian (dual-citizen) |
| Other names | J.H. Sobel, Howard Sobel |
| Education | Hyde Park High School |
| Alma mater |
University of Illinois University of Iowa University of Michigan |
| Notable work | Logic and Theism |
| Spouse(s) | Willa Sobel (nee Freeman) |
| School | Analytic philosophy |
| Institutions | University of Toronto |
Main interests | |
Jordan Howard Sobel (22 September 1929 – 26 March 2010) was a Canadian-American philosopher specializing in ethics, logic, and decision theory. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, Canada.[1] In addition to his areas of specialization, Sobel made notable contributions in the fields of philosophy of religion, and value theory.[2][3]
Life
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sobel was a graduate of Hyde Park High School in Chicago before going on to study at the University of Illinois, where he earned a B.S. in Commerce and Law in 1951. He went on to earn an M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Iowa, followed by a doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Michigan in 1961. His dissertation, titled "What if everyone did that?" was supervised by Richard Cartwright and William Frankena.[4]
Teaching
Sobel's teaching career starting at Monteith College, Wayne State University (1960–1961), before holding positions at Princeton University (1961–1963), UCLA (1963–1969), University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1968–1969). The same year he joined the University of Toronto, where he taught for 28 years until his retirement in 1997.[5]
Sobel has enjoyed a close relationship with the University of Uppsala, Sweden, holding two visiting professorships in 1986, 1991, 1997–1998, and then onwards until 2004. In 2003, the University of Uppsala bestowed an honorary doctorate on Sobel. He also held visiting professorships at Dalhousie University in 1988, and the University of Umeå in 1995.[4]
Work
Sobel is the author of more than 75 refereed publications in philosophy, as well as four books. His early publications focused on ethics, most notably utilitarianism, and determinism. Later in his career, his interests turned to decision theory and philosophy of religion.[5][6]
Books
- Taking Chances: Essays on Rational Choice, Cambridge University Press (1994) [7]
- Puzzles for the Will, University of Toronto Press (1998) [8]
- Logic and Theism: Arguments for and against Beliefs in God, Cambridge University Press (2004) [9]
- Walls and Vaults: A Natural Science of Morals, Wiley (2011) [10]
References
- ↑ "University of Toronto Scarborough Philosophy News." In Memoriam (Fall 2010): 5; 6. Print.
- ↑ "Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog: In Memoriam: J. Howard Sobel (1929–2010)". Leiterreports.typepad.com. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- ↑ Rabinowicz, Wlodek. "In Memoriam – Jordan Howard Sobel (1929–2010)." Theoria 76 (2010): 192–96. Lund University. Web.
- 1 2 "Jordan Sobel Obituary – Toronto, ON | Toronto Star". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- 1 2 "Jordan Howard Sobel : CV" (PDF). Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- ↑ Sobel, Jordan Howard. Taking Chances: Essays on Rational Choice. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1994. Print.
- ↑ http://philpapers.org/rec/SOBTC
- ↑ http://philpapers.org/rec/SOBPFT
- ↑ http://philpapers.org/rec/SOBLAT
- ↑ http://philpapers.org/rec/SOBWAV
External links
Archived copy of Sobel's academic homepage. Includes links to several papers and book manuscripts.