Philosopher wins prestigious Killam Research Fellowship

Professor Thomas Hurka of philosophy is a winner of one of eight 2011 Killam Research Fellowships, announced today by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Hurka teaches and researches in the area of moral and political philosophy, especially normative ethical theory. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and books as well as the recently published The Best Things in Life: A Guide to What Really Matters, written for laypeople. He holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford and has been at U of T since 2002.

“It’s a great honour to have been selected for a Killam Fellowship,” said Hurka. “I’m grateful to the Canada Council for having seen some merit in my research proposal.”

The fellowship will provide Hurka a release from teaching and administrative duties for two years. “I plan to use that to complete a book on a group of British moral philosophers active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and including Henry Sidgwck, G.E. Moore and W.D Ross,” he said. “Though they’re less well known than Aristotle and Kant, their approach to ethical issues was in my view more fruitful. My book will recover their neglected history and show how their work is a model for moral thought today.”

The Killiam Research Fellowship is the latest in a string of honours for the philosopher. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. At U of T, he is the Chancellor Henry N. R. Jackman Distinguished Professor of Philosophical Studies.

“Congratulations to Professor Hurka on this tremendous honour,” said Professor Paul Young,’s vice-president (research). “He is approaching fundamental questions with remarkable intellectual curiosity and creativity, distinguishing himself and the university with his first-rate work.”

The prestigious Killam Fellowships are awarded to full professors at Canadian universities and research institutes who have an outstanding reputation in their areas of research. The awards are made possible through the Killam Trusts by a bequest of Mrs. Dorothy J. Killam and a gift she made before her death in 1965. Recipients are chosen by a committee of 15 eminent Canadian scholars appointed by the Canada Council.

from: http://www.news.utoronto.ca/lead-stories/philosopher-wins-prestigious-killam-research-fellowship.html