Christine Korsgaard
Encyclopedia
Christine Marion Korsgaard (born 1952 in Chicago, Illinois
) is an American
philosopher and academic whose main scholarly interests are in moral philosophy
and its history; the relation of issues in moral philosophy to issues in metaphysics
, the philosophy of mind
, and the theory of personal identity; the theory of personal relationships; and in normativity
in general. She has taught at Yale
, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Chicago
; since 1991 she has been a professor at Harvard University
, where she is now Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy.
Korsgaard received a B.A.
from the University of Illinois
and a Ph.D
from Harvard, where she was a student of John Rawls
. She also received an LHD Doctor of Humane Letters
from the University of Illinois in 2004.
In 1996, Korsgaard published a book entitled The Sources of Normativity, which was the revised version of her Tanner Lectures on Human Values
, and also a collection of her past papers on Kant
's moral philosophy and Kantian approaches to contemporary moral philosophy: Creating the Kingdom of Ends. In 2002, she gave the John Locke Lectures
at the University of Oxford
, which turned into her most recent book, Self-Constitution: Agency, Identity, and Integrity.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philosopher and academic whose main scholarly interests are in moral philosophy
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and its history; the relation of issues in moral philosophy to issues in metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, the philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
, and the theory of personal identity; the theory of personal relationships; and in normativity
Norm (sociology)
Social norms are the accepted behaviors within a society or group. This sociological and social psychological term has been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit...
in general. She has taught at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
; since 1991 she has been a professor at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where she is now Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy.
Korsgaard received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and a Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Harvard, where she was a student of John Rawls
John Rawls
John Bordley Rawls was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy. He held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University....
. She also received an LHD Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
from the University of Illinois in 2004.
In 1996, Korsgaard published a book entitled The Sources of Normativity, which was the revised version of her Tanner Lectures on Human Values
Tanner Lectures on Human Values
The Tanner Lectures on Human Values is a multi-university lecture series in the humanities, founded on July 1, 1978, at Clare Hall, Cambridge University, by the American scholar Obert Clark Tanner...
, and also a collection of her past papers on Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
's moral philosophy and Kantian approaches to contemporary moral philosophy: Creating the Kingdom of Ends. In 2002, she gave the John Locke Lectures
John Locke lectures
The John Locke Lectures are a series of annual lectures in philosophy given at the University of Oxford. They are one of the world's most prestigious academic lecture series, comparable to the Gifford Lectures given in Scottish universities...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, which turned into her most recent book, Self-Constitution: Agency, Identity, and Integrity.
Books
- (2009) Self-ConstitutionSelf-ConstitutionSelf-Constitution is a philosophical book by Christine Korsgaard, in which the author sets out to demonstrate how people determine their own actions...
: Agency, Identity, and Integrity, Oxford University Press. - (2008) The Constitution of Agency, Oxford University Press.
- (1996a) The Sources of Normativity, New York: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-55059-9.
- (1996b) Creating the Kingdom of Ends, New York: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-49644-6.
Articles
- (1986) "Skepticism about Practical Reason," The Journal of Philosophy 83 (1): 5-25. (Reprinted in as ch.11 in Korsgaard (1996b), pp. 311–334.)
- (1997) "The Normativity of Instrumental Reason", ch. 8 in Garrett Cullity & Berys Gaut (eds.) Ethics and Practical Reason, Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 215–54. (Reprinted with Afterword in Korsgaard (2008), pp. 27–69.)
External links
- Korsgaard's Web Page - at Harvard University.