Arthur Ripstein awarded Journal of the History of Philosophy Prize
Published: January 10, 2023
Arthur Ripstein, a University Professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and department of philosophy in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been awarded the 2022 Journal of the History of Philosophy Prize for his book Kant and the Law of War.
“Congratulations to Professor Ripstein on this prestigious award, which celebrates his scholarly work and contributions to philosophy,” says University Professor Jutta Brunnée, dean of the Faculty of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair.
“Arthur Ripstein’s work offers an outstanding example of how research on the history of philosophy – one of the recognized strengths of the department of philosophy at U of T – can contribute to contemporary philosophical and ethical debates,” adds Professor Martin Pickavé, chair of the department of philosophy.
Ripstein, whose interdisciplinary scholarship spans a wide range of topics, has been at the forefront of renewed scholarly interest in the legal and political philosophy of 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant.
“Kant’s ideas of individual freedom, political equality, and the point of having a legal order are aimed at ensuring that no one is subject to someone else's choice. These ideas, none of which are fully realized in any of our current institutions, are nonetheless organizing principles of modern political life,” says Ripstein, who holds the Faculty of Law’s Howard Beck, Q.C. Chair .
“I've tried to get Kantian philosophy to engage with questions that are alive for us today, both as engaged citizens and as legal philosophers interested in the structure and development of the law.”
