Jack Smart has died 7 Oct 201211 Oct 2012 The Twitterverse is reporting that Jack (J. J. C.) Smart has died at the age of 92. Smart was a very influential philosopher who, although born in the UK, was regarded as an Australian materialist. Smart held that mind and brain are identical, along with another UK philosopher turned Australian, Ullin Place. However he holds a special place in my heart for his defence of utilitarian ethics, in a lovely civil debate with Bernard Williams (although it was Williams who convinced me utilitarian ethics is insufficient). I only met Smart a few times over the past decade or so, but he seemed a very nice man, and by all accounts a great teacher. Postscript: The AAP, has placed a section on its website, where people are welcome to visit and add their recollections of Jack. Ethics and Moral Philosophy Logic and philosophy Metaphysics
Logic and philosophy New resource for philosophy of mind and cognition 25 Oct 2007 David Chalmers and David Bourget of the Australian National University have a great new resource up of online papers on mind: Read More
Academe Herding cats, ethically 20 Jul 2010 There is a famous ad on Youtube in which cat wranglers herd cats to a final destination (for slaughtering? really?) as a metaphor for providing IT services. What is underpinning that humor is that domestic cats are not, typically, herd animals. They do not get along in large groups, although… Read More
Epistemology On knowledge and consistency 10 Mar 2010 Well, the cat and the pigeons are having a field day, although it is open yet to interpretation which are the cats and which the pigeons. Josh Rosenau’s post, which I approvingly cited and riffed off, has led to a number of critical blog posts in the ongoing accommodationism war…. Read More
Sad to hear of Jack Smart’s passing. He was my external and called me for a viva. Hearing that only those on the border of two classes were called – I fully expected a clear first- I was apoplectic with rage when he called me. Callow, stroppy and obnoxious, I stormed into the meeting, expressed my rage at being called, superciliously questioned his knowledge of philosophy generally, and of Hume in particular, almost to the point of inviting him outside to settle it. Throughout this harangue he smiled, amused and indulgent, saying only – at the end- that while most vivas were designed to help determine degree class, some were called to give the external the pleasure of congratulating, and of having a pleasant conversation with, the firsts. “Perhaps,” he said rather pointedly, “I should congratulate you.” A beautiful example of tolerance, and of saying much in little, which countervailed my intolerance and my saying little in much. That viva helped mature me, and I remain grateful to Jack Smart for it.