Engaged Philosophy: Essays in Honour of David Braybrooke (review)

Engaged Philosophy is a very fine collection of essays that honours David Braybrooke, an outstanding philosopher, and indeed, an outstanding Canadian. His contributions to philosophy and political theory have been enormous; so, too, has been his influence. He was the first professional philosopher I saw when I was a beginning student, aside from my immediate teachers. I vividly recall the announcement of his impending talk, with the suggestion that even undergraduates might be welcome. I went with trepidation, understood nothing, and was dazzled with the biggest mutton chops I had ever seen (a lovely caricature of which graces the book’s cover). Years later, my first academic job was in his Department of Philosophy at Dalhousie in Halifax. There I got to know David and felt his moral presence in the department, a presence that is hard to overstate. Fellow philosophers were simply not allowed to be disrespectful to one another, and once a week the whole department had to lunch together. It is hard to imagine anyone else having sufficient moral authority to pull it off, yet he did it with ease. Like any academic unit, Dalhousie’s Philosophy Department has gone through the odd rough patch, but it was and is one of the most pleasant places anyone could be. In no small measure, this is David Braybrooke’s doing.

David’s interests are very broad and are significantly reflected in this diverse collection of very good essays. Nathan Brett writes on justice and privatizing education, Susan Sherwin on health care and the human genome project, Duncan MacIntosh on needs and morality, Edna Keeble on Canadian security in a global setting, Sharon Sutherland on aspects of Braybrooke’s views on public policy, Steven Burns on the very philosophical novel The Life of Pi, Meredith Ralston on Braybrooke’s views on social science, Sue Campbell on empathy and egoism, Richmond Campbell on problems of moral judgment, Michael Hymers on epistemic issues in morality, Tom Vinci on the formal structure of moral justification, Peter Schotch on relations between moral philosophy and the social sciences, and Bryson Brown on the relation of norms to causes and intentions.

There is a lovely introduction, which includes many biographical details of David’s life and a thorough survey of his intellectual pursuits. It also includes some short, amusing pieces by David showing his literary side. The volume finishes with a full list of his publications over the fifty year period, 1955–2005. The list won’t be complete, of course, since David is still publishing and seems to be going as strong as ever.

The contributors to the volume are a mix of philosophers and political scientists, which reflects Braybrooke’s joint interests. He was, in fact, appointed to both the Philosophy and the Political Science Departments at Dalhousie until his retirement in 1990. For some years after that he taught at the University of Texas, but maintained his home in Nova Scotia, where he lives today.

The quality of the papers is very high, making Engaged Philosophy a fine tribute. And the range of papers reflects his joint concerns with theoretical and practical issues. The title, Engaged Philosophy, perfectly captures it. Among the conversations I recall having with him, his interests ranged from the most esoteric issues in scientific realism, to ways of reading Pascal, to immediate concerns in local politics. David once ran for public office, and he served as president of the Canadian Philosophical Association. His pursuits exemplify the ideal blend of high theory and urgent practical problems. The editors, Susan Sherwin and Peter Schotch, two of Braybrooke’s Dalhousie colleagues, have provided a fine volume. Plato, a very engaged philosopher, would be proud.