Jordan Howard Sobel (22 September 1929 – 26 March 2010) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

specializing in

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

, and

decision theory Decision theory (or the theory of choice; not to be confused with choice theory) is a branch of applied probability theory concerned with the theory of making decisions based on assigning probabilities to various factors and assigning numerical ...

. He was a professor of philosophy at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, Canada. In addition to his areas of specialization, Sobel made notable contributions in the fields of

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...

, and

value theory In ethics and the social sciences, value theory involves various approaches that examine how, why, and to what degree humans value things and whether the object or subject of valuing is a person, idea, object, or anything else. Within philosophy, ...

. Before his death, Sobel was considered the leading philosophical defender of

Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

prior to

Graham Oppy Graham Robert Oppy (born 1960) is an Australian philosopher whose main area of research is the philosophy of religion. He currently holds the posts of Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean of Research at Monash University and serves as CEO ...

Life

Born and raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Sobel was a graduate of Hyde Park High School in Chicago before going on to study at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, 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 The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, followed by a doctorate in Philosophy at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1961. His dissertation, titled ''"What if everyone did that?"'' was supervised by Richard Cartwright and

William Frankena William Klaas Frankena (June 21, 1908 – October 22, 1994) was an American moral philosopher. He was a member of the University of Michigan's department of philosophy for 41 years (1937–1978), and chair of the department for 14 years (1947� ...

Teaching

Sobel's teaching career starting at Monteith College,

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

(1960–1961), before holding positions at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

(1961–1963),

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(1963–1969),

University of Massachusetts, Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, i ...

(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 Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, 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 Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

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 In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different charact ...

, and

determinism Determinism is a philosophical view, where all events are determined completely by previously existing causes. Deterministic theories throughout the history of philosophy have developed from diverse and sometimes overlapping motives and consi ...

. Later in his career, his interests turned to decision theory and philosophy of religion.

''Logic and Theism''

In 2004, Sobel published what many consider to be his

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

: ''Logic and Theism: Arguments For and Against Beliefs in God.'' The work is a comprehensive overview of many of the arguments on both sides within analytic philosophy of religion. Sobel utilizes

symbolic logic Mathematical logic is the study of formal logic within mathematics. Major subareas include model theory, proof theory, set theory, and recursion theory. Research in mathematical logic commonly addresses the mathematical properties of formal ...

inductive logic Inductive reasoning is a method of reasoning in which a general principle is derived from a body of observations. It consists of making broad generalizations based on specific observations. Inductive reasoning is distinct from ''deductive'' re ...

set theory Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory, as a branch of mathematics, is mostly conce ...

and other tools within analytic philosophy to critically analyze cosmological arguments, ontological arguments, teleological arguments and other arguments for God's existence. Sobel also reformulates a new version of the

logical problem of evil The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encyclope ...

, and reveals tension between God's divine attributes. The work was extremely well-received by philosophers on both sides of the debate. Atheist philosopher Graham Oppy stated that the work is the "very best book on arguments about the existence of God that has yet appeared." Catholic philosopher

Robert Koons Robert Charles ("Rob") Koons () (born February 22, 1957) is an American philosopher. He is a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas (UT), noted for his contribution to metaphysics and philosophical logic. Koons has also advocated for ...

described the work as the best book on philosophy of religion written from an atheistic point of view since J. L. Mackie’s ''The Miracle of Theism''. Protestant philosopher

William Lane Craig William Lane Craig (born August 23, 1949) is an American analytic philosopher, Christian apologist, author and Wesleyan theologian who upholds the view of Molinism and neo-Apollinarianism. He is Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist Univ ...

describes the work as an "acid bath for theism" and writes "I can think of no other treatment of theism, whether by theist or non-theist, comparable to it. Its combination of wide-ranging scope and penetrating analysis makes it a unique contribution to philosophical theology. The product of a lifetime of study, ''Logic and Theism'' is testimony to Howard Sobel’s remarkable mastery of this subject, for very few contemporary philosophers could have written so comprehensive and incisive a treatment."

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)

Book manuscripts

At the time of his death, Sobel had been working on several book projects. With the exception of ''Walls and Vaults'', which was published posthumously, all these books remain unpublished, but are available on the archived version of his website. *
No Light Matter: Socrates and Plato on Justice
' *
Ends and Means: Aristotle on Happiness and Virtue
' *
The Mystery and The Glory: Immanuel Kant’s Philosophy of Morals
' *
Good and Gold: a Judgmental History of Metaethics from G. E. Moore through J. L. Mackie
' *
Words and Symbols, Proofs and Invalidations
'

References

External links

Archived copy of Sobel's academic homepage
Includes links to several papers and book manuscripts. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sobel, Jordan Howard 1929 births 2010 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century atheists 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian philosophers 20th-century essayists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American philosophers 21st-century atheists 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian philosophers 21st-century essayists Action theorists American atheists American ethicists American logicians American male essayists American male non-fiction writers American people of Canadian descent Analytic philosophers Atheist philosophers Canadian atheists Canadian ethicists Canadian logicians Canadian male essayists Canadian male non-fiction writers Commentators on Aristotle Commentators on Plato Critics of religions Epistemologists Kant scholars Meta-ethics Metaphysicians Metaphysics writers Moral philosophers Ontologists Philosophers of logic Philosophers of mind Philosophers of religion Philosophers of social science Rationality theorists Set theorists University of Illinois alumni University of Iowa alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Toronto faculty Writers about religion and science