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Michael Huemer (/ˈhjuːmər/; born 27 December 1969) is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder.[1] He has defended ethical intuitionism, direct realism, libertarianism, substance dualism, reincarnation, the repugnant conclusion,[2] and philosophical anarchism.

Education and career

Huemer graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and earned his Ph.D. at Rutgers University in 1998 under the supervision of Peter D. Klein.[3]

Philosophical work

Huemer is a philosophical dualist.[4] His book Ethical Intuitionism (2005) was reviewed in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews,[5] Philosophy and Phenomenological Research[6] and Mind.[7]

Huemer is the author of The Problem of Political Authority (2013), which argues that the modern arguments for political authority fail and that society can function properly without state coercion.[8] Huemer is an agnostic.[9]

Phenomenal conservatism

Huemer has defended phenomenal conservatism, the idea that it is reasonable to assume that things are as they appear, except when there are positive grounds for doubting this.

Problem of evil

Huemer has stated that the presence of evil in the world such as children with terrible diseases is strong evidence that an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God does not exist.[9]

Reincarnation

Huemer has argued that immaterial souls exist.[9] He has defended reincarnation in his paper "Existence Is Evidence of Immortality".[10]

Ostroveganism

Huemer is an advocate of ostroveganism, a plant-based diet with the addition of oysters and other bivalves.[11][12] Ostroveganism has been described as a type of "new omnivorism".[12]

In 2016, Huemer debated Bryan Caplan on the ethical treatment of animals, including insects.[13] In 2018, Huemer commented: "In the overwhelming majority of actual cases, meat eaters do not have any reasons that could plausibly be claimed to justify the pain and suffering caused by their practice."[14]

His Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism (2019) is a series of dialogues on the ethics of eating meat. Peter Singer, who wrote the foreword to book, commented that "In the future, when people ask me why I don't eat meat, I will tell them to read this book."[15][16]

Personal life

Huemer is married to Iskra Fileva.[4]

Books

Authored

  • Skepticism and the Veil of Perception (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001)
  • Ethical Intuitionism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)
  • The Problem of Political Authority (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)
  • Approaching Infinity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)
  • Paradox Lost (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
  • Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism (Routledge, 2019)
  • Knowledge, Reality, and Value: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy (Independently published, 2021)
  • Justice Before the Law (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021)

Co-Authored

  • Is Political Authority an Illusion?: A Debate (with Daniel Layman, Routledge, 2022)
  • Can We Know Anything?: A Debate (with Bryan Frances, Routledge, Forthcoming)

Edited

  • Epistemology: Contemporary Readings (Routledge, 2002)

References

  1. ^ "Michael Huemer". 24 March 2015.
  2. ^ Huemer, Michael (2008). "In Defence of Repugnance". Mind. 117 (468): 899–933. doi:10.1093/mind/fzn079. ISSN 0026-4423. JSTOR 20532700.
  3. ^ "Curriculum Vitae".
  4. ^ a b Sosis, Cliff (2021). "Michael Huemer Interview". What is it like to be a Philosopher?.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ McNaughton, David (10 September 2006). "Michael Huemer: Ethical Intuitionism". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. ISSN 1538-1617.
  6. ^ Schroeder, Mark (2009). "Review: Huemer's Clarkeanism: Ethical Intuitionism by Michael Huemer". Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 78 (1): 197–204. doi:10.1111/j.1933-1592.2008.00239.x. JSTOR 40380419.
  7. ^ Lemos, Noah (2008). "Review: Michael Huemer: Ethical Intuitionism". Mind. 117 (466): 483–486. doi:10.1093/mind/fzn063. ISSN 0026-4423.
  8. ^ Skoble, Aeon J. (2014). "Reviewed Work: The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey by Michael Huemer". The Independent Review. 19 (1): 144–147. JSTOR 24563269.
  9. ^ a b c Lemieux, Pierre (2022). "A Wide Ranging Libertarian Philosopher, Reasonable and Radical". Cato Institute. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Jäger, Jens (2021). "Immortal Beauty: Does Existence Confirm Reincarnation?". Australasian Journal of Philosophy. 100 (4): 789–807. doi:10.1080/00048402.2021.1938150.
  11. ^ Huemer, Michael. (2019). Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism. Routledge. pp. 74-75
  12. ^ a b Milburn, Josh; Bobier, Christopher (2022). "New Omnivorism: a Novel Approach to Food and Animal Ethics". Food Ethics. 7: 5. doi:10.1007/s41055-022-00098-z.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Do animals have rights? Professors Bryan Caplan and Michael Huemer discuss". Learnliberty.org. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Debate: Libertarians Should Be Vegetarians". Reason.com. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Interview with Michael Huemer, the author of ”Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism". Animainternational.org. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  16. ^ "Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism". Routledge.com. Retrieved 6 August 2021.

Further reading

External links

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