Michael Huemer (; born 27 December 1969) is a professor of

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

at the

University of Colorado, Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

. He has defended

ethical intuitionism Ethical intuitionism (also called moral intuitionism) is a view or family of views in moral epistemology (and, on some definitions, metaphysics). It is foundationalism applied to moral knowledge, the thesis that some moral truths can be known no ...

direct realism Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

libertarianism Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

, and

philosophical anarchism Philosophical anarchism is an anarchist school of thought which focuses on intellectual criticism of authority, especially political power, and the legitimacy of governments. The American anarchist and socialist Benjamin Tucker coined the term '' ...

Education and career

Huemer graduated from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

and earned his Ph.D. at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

in 1998 under the supervision of

Peter D. Klein Peter David Klein (born September 17, 1940) is an American philosopher specializing in issues in epistemology who spent most of his career at Rutgers University. Education and career He received a BA at Earlham College (1962), and an MA (1964 ...

Philosophical work

Huemer's book ''

Ethical Intuitionism Ethical intuitionism (also called moral intuitionism) is a view or family of views in moral epistemology (and, on some definitions, metaphysics). It is foundationalism applied to moral knowledge, the thesis that some moral truths can be known no ...

'' (2005) was reviewed in ''Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews'', ''

Philosophy and Phenomenological Research ''Philosophy and Phenomenological Research'' (''PPR'') is a bimonthly philosophy journal founded in 1940. Until 1980, it was edited by Marvin Farber, then by Roderick Chisholm and since 1986 by Ernest Sosa. It considers itself open to a variety ...

'' and ''

Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

.'' Huemer is the author of ''

The Problem of Political Authority ''The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey'' is a book by University of Colorado philosophy professor Michael Huemer released in January 2013. The first part of the book argues in detail for Hue ...

'' (2013) which argues that the modern arguments for

political authority In political philosophy and ethics, political authority describes any of the moral principles legitimizing differences between individuals' rights and duties by virtue of their relationship with the state. Political authority grants members of ...

fail and that society can function properly without state coercion. In a review, philosopher Aeon J. Skoble stated that Huemer "joins the ranks of twenty-first-century philosophical defenders of an anarchist position that is rooted in a conception of the efficacy of voluntary and competitive institutions."

Veganism

Huemer is an advocate of ethical vegetarianism (veganism). In 2016, Huemer debated

Bryan Caplan Bryan Douglas Caplan (born April 8, 1971) is an American economist and author. Caplan is a professor of economics at George Mason University, research fellow at the Mercatus Center, adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and former contributor ...

on the ethical treatment of animals, including insects. In 2018, Huemer commented "In the overwhelming majority of actual cases, meat eaters do not have any reasons that could plausibly be claimed to justify the pain and suffering caused by their practice." His ''Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism'' (2019) is a series of dialogues on the

ethics of eating meat Conversations regarding the ethics of eating meat are focused on whether or not it is moral to eat non-human animals. Ultimately, this is a debate that has been ongoing for millennia, and it remains one of the most prominent topics in food ethics ...

Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular, ...

who wrote the foreword to book commented that "In the future, when people ask me why I don’t eat meat, I will tell them to read this book.”"Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism"
Routledge.com. Retrieved 6 August 2021.

Books

Authored

*''Skepticism and the Veil of Perception'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001) *''

'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) *''

'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) *''Approaching Infinity'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) *''Paradox Lost'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) *''Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism'' (Routledge, 2019) *''Knowledge, Reality, and Value: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy'' (Independently published, 2021) *''Justice Before the Law'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021)

Edited

* ''Epistemology: Contemporary Readings'' (Routledge, 2002)

References

External links

Faculty webpageOfficial Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huemer, Michael 1969 births Living people 21st-century American philosophers American anarcho-capitalists American animal rights scholars American libertarians American political philosophers American veganism activists Moral philosophers Philosophy academics Rutgers University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni University of Colorado faculty