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Jordan Howard Sobel

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Institutions
  
Notable work
  
Logic and Theism

Residence
  
Toronto, Canada

Other name
  
J.H. Sobel, Howard Sobel

Jordan Howard Sobel 4bpblogspotcomMKBhxxDuYL8S89Qs5EfrIAAAAAAA

Born
  
September 22, 1929 (
1929-09-22
)

Nationality
  
American, Canadian (dual-citizen)

Other names
  
J.H. Sobel, Howard Sobel

Spouse(s)
  
Willa Sobel (nee Freeman)

Died
  
26 March 2010, Toronto, Canada

Alma maters
  
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, University of Iowa, University of Michigan

Books
  
Logic and Theism, Puzzles for the will, Taking Chances: Essays o, Walls and Vaults

Jordan Howard Sobel (22 September 1929 – 26 March 2010) was a Canadian-American philosopher specializing in ethics, logic, and decision theory. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, Canada. In addition to his areas of specialization, Sobel made notable contributions in the fields of philosophy of religion, and value theory.

Contents

Life

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sobel was a graduate of Hyde Park High School in Chicago before going on to study at the University of Illinois, where he earned a B.S. in Commerce and Law in 1951. He went on to earn an M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Iowa, followed by a doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Michigan in 1961. His dissertation, titled "What if everyone did that?" was supervised by Richard Cartwright and William Frankena.

Teaching

Sobel's teaching career starting at Monteith College, Wayne State University (1960–1961), before holding positions at Princeton University (1961–1963), UCLA (1963–1969), University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1968–1969). The same year he joined the University of Toronto, where he taught for 28 years until his retirement in 1997.

Sobel has enjoyed a close relationship with the University of Uppsala, Sweden, holding two visiting professorships in 1986, 1991, 1997–1998, and then onwards until 2004. In 2003, the University of Uppsala bestowed an honorary doctorate on Sobel. He also held visiting professorships at Dalhousie University in 1988, and the University of Umeå in 1995.

Work

Sobel is the author of more than 75 refereed publications in philosophy, as well as four books. His early publications focused on ethics, most notably utilitarianism, and determinism. Later in his career, his interests turned to decision theory and philosophy of religion.

Books

  • Taking Chances: Essays on Rational Choice, Cambridge University Press (1994)
  • Puzzles for the Will, University of Toronto Press (1998)
  • Logic and Theism: Arguments for and against Beliefs in God, Cambridge University Press (2004)
  • Walls and Vaults: A Natural Science of Morals, Wiley (2011)
  • References

    Jordan Howard Sobel Wikipedia


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