Marcia Baron (born 1955) is an American philosopher and the Rudy Professor of Philosophy at
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...
.
Her main research interests include moral philosophy, moral psychology, and philosophical issues in criminal law.
[ Baron is an associate editor of '' Inquiry'', a member of the editorial board of ''The International Encyclopedia of Ethics'', a series editor for New Directions in Ethics, and a member of the editorial board of the North American Kant Studies in Philosophy.][
]
Education and career
Baron received her baccalaureate from Oberlin College in 1976, and went on to receive a master's and doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
in 1978 and 1982, respectively.[ After receiving her doctorate, Baron accepted an appointment as an assistant professor at the ]Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regi ...
and an appointment as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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 Univ ...
.[ She accepted a permanent offer from UIUC in 1983, was promoted to Associate Professor in 1989, and to full Professor in 1996.][ In 2001, she moved to Indiana University - Bloomington as a full professor, and she was named the Rudy Professor in 2004.][ In 2012 she accepted an additional appointment as Professor at the ]University of St. Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
, while retaining her position at Indiana as well.[ She retains an honorary professorship there.] Besides for her permanent positions, Baron has also held visiting positions at a variety of institutions, including Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
, Stanford University, 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 ...
, the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, the University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...
, the University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
, and Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
.[
]
Research areas
Baron's research has focused on moral philosophy
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 ...
, moral psychology, the philosophical issues of criminal law, impartiality in ethics, as well as Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
(whom she has authored two books on) and David Hume
David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment phil ...
.[ Baron has written extensively about topics such as apparent conflicts between different types of interpersonal relationships, manipulativeness, justifications and excuses, the moral significance of appearances, and the ethics of Kant and Hume.][ She has also written about a wide variety of topics related to philosophical issues of criminal law, including writing several papers on potential defenses to bodily crimes, issues surrounding mens rea (including whether or not mens rea can be satisfied by negligence,) and the standards of control and reasonableness that people should be held to (cf. the "]reasonable person
In law, a reasonable person, reasonable man, or the man on the Clapham omnibus, is a hypothetical person of legal fiction crafted by the courts and communicated through case law and jury instructions.
Strictly according to the fiction, it i ...
".)[
]
Publications
Baron has written or co-written two books and is working on a third - ''Three Methods of Ethics: A Debate'' in 1997, and ''Kantian Ethics Almost without Apology'' in 1995.[ Baron's upcoming book, tentatively titled ''Self-Defense, Reason, and the Law'', focuses on the reasonable belief requirement as it pertains to self-defense.][ She has also published around four dozen papers, one monograph, five encyclopedia articles, and a host of book reviews.][ In ''Three Methods of Ethics'', Baron's contribution focused providing a limited defense of ]Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
, attempting to demonstrate that a Kantian position is superior to that espoused by virtue ethicists. In ''Kantian Ethics'', Baron attempts to provide a limited defense of Kantian ethics intended for a broader audience than those who are already Kantians. ''Kantian Ethics'' tries to directly address two widely perceived problems in Kant's positions; first, the idea that Kant's ethics leave no room for superogatory actions, and second, that Kant places too much emphasis on the idea of duty.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baron, Marcia
1955 births
Living people
21st-century American philosophers
American women philosophers
Hume scholars
Indiana University Bloomington faculty
Kantian philosophers
Moral philosophers
Moral psychologists
Oberlin College alumni
American ethicists
Philosophers of law
University of North Carolina alumni
University of Michigan staff
Women legal scholars
Presidents of the American Philosophical Association
21st-century American women