Arthur Ripstein, a University Professor in Department of Philosophy and the Faculty of Law and, has been awarded the 2022 Journal of the History of Philosophy Prize, which celebrates philosophical and scholarly achievement.
The prize is awarded to a book published in the previous year (according to the copyright date) that deserves special recognition for its contribution to the history of Western philosophy. Ripstein earned the recognition for his book Kant and the Law of War (Oxford University Press, 2021).
Ripstein’s interdisciplinary scholarship spans a wide range of topics, including the history of philosophy, theories of justice, tort law, and the law of war. He has been a leading light in renewed scholarly interest in the legal and political philosophy of 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant.
“Kant’s ideas of individual freedom, political equality, and the point of having a legal order are aimed at ensuring that no one is subject to someone else’s choice. These ideas, none of which are fully realized in any of our current institutions, are nonetheless organizing principles of modern political life,” Ripstein, who holds the Faculty of Law’s Howard Beck, Q.C. Chair, says.
“I’ve tried to get Kantian philosophy to engage with questions that are alive for us today, both as engaged citizens and as legal philosophers interested in the structure and development of the law.”
“Congratulations to Arthur for receiving this important recognition,” said Martin Pickavé, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy. “Arthur Ripstein’s work offers an outstanding example of how research on the history of philosophy—one of the recognized strengths of the Department of Philosophy at U of T—can contribute to contemporary philosophical and ethical debates.”
For more on Ripstein’s assessment of Kant on war, read the Arts & Science story “Completely Misunderstood.”
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