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
Biology Book reviews 24 Apr 2010 Several interesting book reviews arrived in my feed this morning, of books I have not read. Jerry Coyne reviews FAPP’s What Darwin Got Wrong alongside Dawkins’ The Greatest Show on Earth. I cannot help but think that he is on the one hand very easy on Dawkins and fails to… Read More
Metaphysics P-Angels 28 May 2010 There is a class of beings called P-Zeds, which are not unspellable atheist bloggers, but “philosophical zombies”, beings exactly like us in every way, but which lack consciousness. A P-Zed behaves just like you and I, and is identical at the physical level, but it has no self-awareness, reflexivity or… Read More
Administrative Icons for peer-reviewed blogging 29 Oct 200718 Sep 2017 The above are icons to be used when blogging on actual peer-reviewed research (as opposed to popular reports or kookery). I had a marginal involvement in this (I made some passing comments early on) so it is with great pride… no, actually, it’s all down to Dave Munger, who was… 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.