Joel Feinberg (1926-2004)

Special Double Issue devoted to Joel Feinberg: The journal of Ethics

Joel Feinberg, a political and social philosopher who did groundbreaking work in the fields of individual rights and the authority of the state, died March 29 at a nursing home in Tucson. He was 77 and lived in Tucson.

The cause of death was complications of Parkinson's disease, said his son, Benjamin Feinberg.

Professor Feinberg, who taught for years at the University of Arizona, was recognized for his writing on moral, social and legal philosophy. His major work was "The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law" (Oxford University Press), which was published in four volumes.

His approach in that work was explained by Jody S. Kraus, a former student of Professor Feinberg's and a professor of both law and philosophy at the University of Virginia Law School:

"Following John Stuart Mill, Feinberg believed that political philosophy begins with a normative presumption in favor of individual liberty. The task of justifying political coercion, then, consists in identifying so-called liberty-limiting principles, which set out the conditions under which that presumption is overridden and the state is justified in exercising coercion.

Each volume of `Moral Limits' is devoted to an extensive analysis of one of four such principles that might justify the imposition of criminal sanctions."

In each volume, "Harm to Others" (1984), "Offense to Others" (1985), "Harm to Self'" (1986) and "Harmless Wrongdoing" (1988), Professor Feinberg found the state's justification for setting limits on freedom "less and less persuasive," Professor Kraus said.

"He had a unique and unsurpassed ability to identify conceptual distinctions that organized and illuminated previously obscure questions," Professor Kraus said. "He changed the way people thought about things."

As Jules L. Coleman, another former student who is a professor of philosophy at Yale University Law School, put it, "Feinberg defends the view that the state's power can be employed against individuals primarily only if their actions are likely to be harmful to others and not, for example, if they are merely offensive or morally repugnant to a powerful majority."

Thomas Nagel, a professor at New York University Law School, called "The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law" "one of the most profound works on legal philosophy."

Professor Feinberg was widely admired for the simple concreteness with which he described abstract issues. In "Offense to Others," he weighed the balance between individual and community rights by asking his readers to imagine they were riding in a bus they could not leave and being subjected to a series of potential offenses: loud music, scratching on a metallic surface, the handling of what looked like a real grenade, overt sexual behavior. He then drew precise distinctions and arrived at what he saw as correct principles.

Joel Feinberg was born in Detroit on Oct. 19, 1926. He briefly attended the University of Illinois in 1944 and then joined the Army, where he served in an officer training program in Chicago. After leaving the Army in 1946, he went on to earn three degrees from the University of Michigan: a B.A. in 1949, an M.A. in 1951 and a Ph.D. in 1957.

In May 1955, he married Betty Grey Sowers. They had two children, Melissa, of Alexandria, Va., and Benjamin, of Asheville, N.C. His wife and children survive him, along with three grandchildren and a sister, Lois Kozlow of Birmingham, Al.

Professor Feinberg began teaching at Brown University in 1955 and moved to Princeton in 1957 and the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1966. He was a professor of philosophy at Rockefeller University from 1967 to 1977. In 1978 he joined the faculty of the University of Arizona, Tucson. After retiring in 1994, he was regents professor of philosophy and law emeritus until his death. He lectured at many other universities throughout the world.

His first book, "Reason and Responsibility: Reading in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy" (Dickenson, 1965), which he edited and for which he wrote the section introductions, is in its 12th edition. It remains, according to its publisher's records, one of the top-selling anthologies of philosophical writings.

Professor Feinberg edited many other books, jointly and alone, among them "The Problem of Abortion" (Wadsworth, 1973), for which he wrote the introduction. He also contributed articles to many publications. He was a past president of the American Philosophical Association.

By CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN-HAUPT

April 05, 2004, New York Times

Born on Sept. 19, 1922 in Prairie Farm, Wis.  He was the son of Steven Frederick Shackleton and Lena Chessie Dykstra.  Fred attended Anderson College in Indiana, where he met Doris Emilyn Martin.  They toured in a trio for college, then married in 1943.  He was an ordained minister of the Church of God of Anderson, Indiana and a professor at several Christian universities.  Fred was an accomplished tenor soloist, a composer, vocal coach, choir director and singing evangelist who, with his wife, led many church conventions and camp meetings throughout the United States.  He began his career singing on Christian radio programs at the age of 14.  The last 22 years of his career were spent as a professor of philosophy, religion, and vocal technique at Azusa Pacific University.  Many students, friends, parishioners, and family have been influenced by his teaching and godly life.  He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Loren and Benjamin; a third brother, Alvin, still lives in Santa Ana, CA.  He is survived by his wife, Doris, his son Martin (Jean), his daughters Fredda Koupal and Linda Wallace (Mark).  Grandchildren include: Aaron Shackleton (Julie), Jeana Early (Darrin), Rosilyn Koupal, Benjamin Wallace (Tina), Dennis J. Koupal III (Cynthia), Joann Fozard (Jonathan), Amelia Wallace, Micah Wallace, and Josiah Wallace.  Great-grandchildren are Andy Shackleton, Aurian Early, Ann Marie Shackleton, Brooke Early, Emma Wallace, Emily Shackleton, Aisiah Koupal, Falyn Early, and Grayce Wallace.  A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Sat., April 25 at the Garden Grove Church of God, 8362 Trask Ave., Garden Grove, CA.  Donations to the Frederick Shackleton Student Scholarship fund may be sent to Azusa Pacific University Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 7000, Azusa, CA 91702.

Frederick Gerald Shackleton (1922-2009) 

Obituary for Burleigh Taylor Wilkins (1932-2015) 

 

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Professor Burleigh Taylor Wilkins on Tuesday, 13 October 2015. Born on 1 July 1932, Professor Wilkins grew up in Virginia. He is survived by his daughters Carla Wilkins, Brita Lincoln and her husband Rocky Lincoln, and two grandsons: Clark Lincoln and Jack Lincoln. In 1952, he graduated with a BA in history from Duke University, following which he earned an MA in history from Harvard in 1954. He then earned an MA in Philosophy from Harvard University in 1963, and then a PhD in Philosophy from Princeton University in 1965.  

Professor Wilkins had a long and successful teaching career. He taught at MIT from 1957-1960, and also at Princeton University before serving as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Rice University from 1965-1966. From 1966-1967, he served as an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rice University before beginning his lengthy teaching position at the University of California, Santa Barbara, first as an Associate Professor of Philosophy from 1967-1968, and then as a Professor of Philosophy  from 1968-2012. 

Professor Wilkins is the author of the following books: Carl Becker (MIT and Harvard, 1961); The Problem of Burke’s Political Philosophy (Oxford, 1967); Hegel’s Philosophy of History (Cornell, 1974); Has History Any Meaning?: A Critique of Carl Popper’s Philosophy of History (Cornell, 1978); Terrorism and Collective Responsibility (Routledge, 1992). His dozens of articles have been published in journals such as Analysis; Ethics; The Journal of Ethics: An International Philosophical Review; Journal of Social Philosophy; Journal of Value Inquiry; Mind; Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.  

Professor Wilkins also served as a member of the Distinguished Editorial Board of The Journal of Ethics: An International Philosophical Review for which he served tirelessly as an excellent referee and editorial consultant. From 1997 to 2004, he participated with great passion in all events of the International Law and Ethics Conference Series that sponsored a conference at Belgrade University and a follow- up conference at academic institutions in the United States of America on pressing topics of the time. 

As a teacher, Professor Wilkins was a devoted mentor both during our student lives and far beyond those years. He read and provided incisive comments on drafts of numerous articles and books, and assisted us greatly in developing our career objectives. His work as an author and teacher will continue to inspire us to reach further heights of success, and we are forever grateful to him for the years of continual philosophical development we have gained from his wisdom and keen analytic mind. Professor Wilkins strongly encouraged one of us to complete his philosophical studies with Joel Feinberg at the University of Arizona, and for that genuine gratitude is expressed herein. But Professor Wilkins was almost singularly instrumental in solidifying and nurturing the bond between the two of us, his former students. For that we owe him a debt of gratitude that cannot be compensated. 

Professor Wilkins will be missed very much, and we will remember him as a sharp philosopher with a keen wit, unpretentious, compassionate and humble, always ready to assist when asked. 

With tremendous sorrow and highest respect, 

J. Angelo Corlett and Aleksandar Jokic 

Burleigh Taylor Wilkins (1932-2015)