Susan Haack

Listen to this article
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Susan Haack
Haack in 2005
Born1945 (age 78–79)
England
Alma materSt Hilda's College, Oxford
EraContemporary philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolAnalytic
Neopragmatism[1]
Foundherentism
InstitutionsUniversity of Cambridge
University of Warwick
University of Miami
Main interests
Philosophy of science
Philosophy of logic
Epistemology
Pragmatism
Notable ideas
Foundherentism

Susan Haack (born 1945) is a distinguished professor in the humanities, Cooper Senior Scholar in Arts and Sciences, professor of philosophy, and professor of law at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

Haack has written on logic, the philosophy of language, epistemology, and metaphysics. Her pragmatism follows that of Charles Sanders Peirce.

Career

Education

Haack is a graduate of the

Politics, Philosophy and Economics and said of her taste for philosophy: "it was, initially, the 'politics' part that most appealed to me. But somewhere down the line, despite encouragement from my politics tutor to pursue that subject, philosophy took over."[2]

She studied

New Hall, Cambridge and professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick
before taking her current position at the University of Miami.

Haack has said of her career that she is "very independent":

rather than follow philosophical fads and fashions, I pursue questions I believe are important, and tackle them in the ways that seem most likely to yield results; I am beholden to no clique or citation cartel; I put no stock in the ranking of philosophy graduate programs over which my colleagues obsess; I accept no research or travel funds from my university; I avoid publishing in journals that insist on taking all the rights to my work; etc., etc. Naturally, this independence comes at a price; but it also earns me the freedom to do the best work I can, without self-censorship, and to communicate with a much wider audience than the usual "niche literature" does[2]

Philosophical work

Haack's major contribution to philosophy, in the 1993 book Evidence and Inquiry is her epistemological theory called foundherentism,[3][4][5] which is her attempt to avoid the logical problems of both pure foundationalism (which is susceptible to infinite regress) and pure coherentism (which is susceptible to circularity). She illustrates this idea with the metaphor of the crossword puzzle. A highly simplified version of this proceeds as follows: Finding an answer using a clue is analogous to a foundational source (grounded in empirical evidence). Making sure that the interlocking words are mutually sensible is analogous to justification through coherence. Both are necessary components in the justification of knowledge.

Haack has been a fierce critic of

New Criterion
, taking strong exception to many of Rorty's views, especially his claim to be a sort of pragmatist.

In Manifesto of a Passionate Moderate, Haack is highly critical of the view that there is a specifically female perspective on logic and scientific truth and is critical of feminist epistemology. She holds that many feminist critiques of science and philosophy are excessively concerned with political correctness.[9][10]

Haack describes her 2003 book Defending Science – Within Reason: Between Scientism and Cynicism, as a defence of

Richard G. Swinburne and Stephen Jay Gould, she referred to the pertinent chapter of her book for a comprehensive understanding of her views on this matter.[11]

In the related chapter ten of Defending Science, Haack disagrees with Gould's claim that science and religion have their own distinct domains that do not overlap. (See NOMA). Haack also disagrees with Swinburne. Haack believes that while scientists, historians and detectives play a useful role in scientific inquiry, theologians do not. Haack shows how religion and science make claims about how the world is. She shows how science and religion also make assertions as to what could lead to a better human condition. By these statements, Haack shows that religion and science do not enjoy their own separate space. She points out areas where prior and current religious claims about the natural universe are strongly refuted by the best warranted findings of science. She also stipulates that controversy and unanswered questions abound in modern science. She summarises her defence for scientific inquiry by stating that she makes no apology for reserving her "greatest admiration for those who delight to exercise the mind, no matter which way it takes them...those for whom doing their damnedest with the mind, no holds barred, is a point of honor".[12]

She has written for

Council for Secular Humanism. Haack's work has been reviewed and cited in the popular press, such as The Times Literary Supplement
as well as in academic journals.

Memberships

Haack is an honorary member of

Phi Beta Kappa Society and Phi Kappa Phi, a past President of the Charles S. Peirce Society,[13]
and a past member of the US/UK Educational Commission.

Selected writings

References

  1. ^ Pragmatism – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  2. ^ a b "Interview with Susan Haack". Richard Carrier Blogs. 6 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  3. JSTOR 2108389
    .
  4. JSTOR 20129822
    .
  5. JSTOR 2660334
    .
  6. OL 1398949M
    .
  7. ^ Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). "Richard Rorty". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  8. ^ Haack, Susan (November 1997). "Vulgar Rortyism". The New Criterion.
  9. ISBN 978-0-226-31137-1
    .
  10. S2CID 144075886
    .
  11. ^ Susan, Haack. "Interview with D.J Groeth". Center for Inquiry. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  12. ISBN 1-59102-117-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link
    )
  13. ^ "The Charles S. Peirce Society".

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Susan Haack.
Listen to this article (6 minutes)
Spoken Wikipedia icon
Audio help · More spoken articles
)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Susan_Haack&oldid=1218552730"