Philip Pettit
Encyclopedia
Philip Noel Pettit is an Irish
philosopher and political theorist. He is Laurence Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values at Princeton University
. He was a Guggenheim Fellow.
, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth
and Queen's University, Belfast.
He was a lecturer at University College, Dublin, a Research Fellow at Trinity Hall, Cambridge
, and professor at the University of Bradford
.
Pettit was for many years Professorial Fellow in Social and Political Theory at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University
. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland
.
He was keynote speaker at Graduate Conference, University of Toronto
.
Pettit is well-known for defending a version of republicanism
in political philosophy. His book Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government provided the underlying justification for political reforms in Spain under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
. Pettit detailed his relationship with Zapatero in his A Political Philosophy in Public Life: Civic Republicanism in Zapatero's Spain, co-authored with José Luis Martí.
Pettit holds that the lessons learned when thinking about problems in one area of philosophy often constitute ready-made solutions to problems faced in completely different areas. Views he defends in philosophy of mind give rise to the solutions he offers to problems in metaphysics about the nature of free will, and to problems in the philosophy of the social sciences, and these in turn give rise to the solutions he provides to problems in moral philosophy and political philosophy. Pettit's corpus as a whole was the subject of a series of critical essays published in Common Minds: Themes from the Philosophy of Philip Pettit (Oxford University Press, 2007).
He is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
philosopher and political theorist. He is Laurence Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He was a Guggenheim Fellow.
Life
He was educated at Garbally CollegeGarbally College
Garbally College is a Catholic, boys-only, secondary school based in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland. It is officially known as St Joseph's College .-History:...
, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth
National University of Ireland, Maynooth
The National University of Ireland, Maynooth , was founded by the Universities Act, 1997 as a constituent university of the National University of Ireland. It is Ireland's second oldest university, having been formed from St Patrick's College, Maynooth, itself founded in 1795.The university is...
and Queen's University, Belfast.
He was a lecturer at University College, Dublin, a Research Fellow at Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, and professor at the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
.
Pettit was for many years Professorial Fellow in Social and Political Theory at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
.
He was keynote speaker at Graduate Conference, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
Pettit is well-known for defending a version of republicanism
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
in political philosophy. His book Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government provided the underlying justification for political reforms in Spain under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
. Pettit detailed his relationship with Zapatero in his A Political Philosophy in Public Life: Civic Republicanism in Zapatero's Spain, co-authored with José Luis Martí.
Pettit holds that the lessons learned when thinking about problems in one area of philosophy often constitute ready-made solutions to problems faced in completely different areas. Views he defends in philosophy of mind give rise to the solutions he offers to problems in metaphysics about the nature of free will, and to problems in the philosophy of the social sciences, and these in turn give rise to the solutions he provides to problems in moral philosophy and political philosophy. Pettit's corpus as a whole was the subject of a series of critical essays published in Common Minds: Themes from the Philosophy of Philip Pettit (Oxford University Press, 2007).
He is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS.
Works
- Judging justice: an introduction to contemporary political philosophy (1980)
- Rawls: 'A Theory of Justice' and its critics (1990) with Chandran KukathasChandran KukathasChandran Kukathas is a noted Malaysian-born Australian political theorist whose most famous contributions to the discipline have been in the debates concerning multiculturalism and liberalism...
- The Common Mind; an essay on psychology, society and politics (1993)
- Not Just Deserts. A Republican Theory of Criminal Justice ISBN 9780198240563 (see Republican Criminology and Victim Advocacy: Comment for article concerning the book in Law and Society Review, Vol. 28, No. 4 (1994), pp. 765–776) with John BraithwaiteJohn Braithwaite (academic)John Braithwaite is an academic at the Australian National University . As a criminologist, he is particularly interested in the role of restorative justice, shame management and reintegration in crime prevention. His book Crime, Shame and Reintegration demonstrated that current criminal...
. - Republicanism: a theory of freedom and government (1997)
- Three Methods of Ethics: a debate (1997) with Marcia Baron and Michael SloteMichael SloteMichael Slote is UST Professor of Ethics at the University of Miami and is author of From Morality to Virtue and Morals From Motives . He was previously professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland, and at Trinity College Dublin....
- A Theory of Freedom: from psychology to the politics of agency (2001)
- Rules, Reasons and Norms: selected essays (2002)
- The Economy of EsteemThe Economy of EsteemThe Economy of Esteem is a book by Geoffrey Brennan and Philip Pettit describing the role of self-esteem and honour in the economy. It was published in 2005 by Oxford University Press....
: an essay on civil and political society (2004) with Geoffrey BrennanGeoffrey BrennanGeoffrey Brennan is an Australian philosopher. He is currently a professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a professor of political science at Duke University... - Made with Words: Hobbes on Language, Mind, and Politics (2007)
- "A Political Philosophy in Public Life: Civic Republicanism in Zapatero's Spain" (2010) with José Luis Martí
- "Group Agency: The Possibility, Design, and Status of Corporate Agents." (2011) with Christian List
External links
- Republican reflections on the 15-M movement, by Philip Pettit, in Books and Ideas.