Thaddeus Metz
Thaddeus Metz | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Professor |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Philosophy |
| Sub-discipline | The meaning of life; ethics; political philosophy; philosophy of law; African philosophy; non-Western philosophy |
| Institutions | University of Pretoria |
Thaddeus Metz is an American philosopher, academic, and author who has lectured at mainly South African universities. He currently teaches at the University of Pretoria.
Education and Career
[edit]Metz earned a PhD from the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University in 1997.[1]
Recent appointments include Distinguished Professor at the University of Johannesburg during 2015-2019, and Research Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pretoria[2] since 2020.
Metz has supervised doctoral students from many different countries,[3] including Mpho Tshivhase the first African woman from South Africa to get a PhD in philosophy[4][5] and Doreen Sesiro the first African woman from Botswana to do so.[6]
Metz was listed amongst the top 75 most highly cited philosophers in the world in Scopus journals in the year 2020.[7]
Philosophical Work
[edit]Much of his work 'takes an analytic approach to African morality, the meaning of life, the nature of mental health, the point of a university, the role of a legal system, and a range of other topics in value theory and moral-political philosophy'.[8] In particular, he (alongside Susan R. Wolf) is often credited for having helped develop life's meaning as a distinct field in Anglo-American philosophy.[9]
Bibliography
[edit]Here are some of Metz's selected works:
Books
[edit]- What Makes Life Meaningful? A Debate, with Joshua Seachris (London: Routledge, 2024). ISBN 9781032566153
- A Relational Moral Theory: African Ethics in and Beyond the Continent (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022). ISBN 9780198748960
- God,Soul and the Meaning of Life (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019). ISBN 9781108661652
- Meaning in Life: An Analytic Study (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013). ISBN 9780191747632
Articles
[edit]- Metz, Thaddeus (2012). An African Theory of Moral Status: A Relational Alternative to Individualism and Holism. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 15 (3): 387-402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-011-9302-y
- Metz, Thaddeus (2011). The Good, the True and the Beautiful: Toward a Unified Account of Great Meaning in Life. Religious Studies: An International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion 47 (4): 389-409. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034412510000569
- Metz, Thaddeus (2011). Ubuntu as a Moral Theory and Human Rights in South Africa. African Human Rights Law Journal 11 (2):532-559. [10]
- Metz, Thaddeus (2007). Toward an African moral theory. Journal of Political Philosophy 15 (3):321–341. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9760.2007.00280.x
- Metz, Thaddeus (2002). Recent Work on the Meaning of Life. Ethics 112 (4):781-814. https://doi.org/10.1086/340462
- Metz, Thaddeus (2001). The Concept of a Meaningful Life. American Philosophical Quarterly 38 (2): 137-153. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20010030
- Metz, Thaddeus (2001). Respect for Persons and Perfectionist Politics. Philosophy and Public Affairs 30 (4): 417-442. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1088-4963.2001.00417.x
Public Lectures
[edit]- 27th UP Expert Lecture 'Ubuntu's Implications for Philosophical Ethics.[11]
- For Reconciliatory Sentencing" - Royal Institute of Philosophy, The London Lectures.[12]
Secondary Literature
[edit]Special journal issues and books devoted to Metz's research include:
- Olatunji Oyeshile (ed.) 'On an African Moral Theory', African Philosophical Inquiry 11 (2023).[13]
- Paul Slama and Carien Smith (eds) 'Meanings of Gods. Questions to Thaddeus Metz', International Journal of Philosophy and Theology 82 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1080/21692327.2021.2020150
- Yujin Nagasawa (ed.) 'Book Symposium: Thaddeus Metz's Meaning in Life', European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 8 (2016). https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.v8i2
- Masahiro Morioka (ed.) Reconsidering Meaning in Life: A Philosophical Dialogue with Thaddeus Metz (Saitama, Japan: Waseda University, 2015).[14]
Cultural Influence
[edit]Metz once featured as a clue on the American game show Jeopardy!: 'A Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry written by Thaddeus Metz, or a movie co-written by John Cleese' was the answer to the question 'What is "The Meaning of Life"?'.[15]
Metz is described in a British newspaper article as 'a philosopher who deserves some sort of award for having the nerve to publish a book entitled Meaning in Life'.[16]
Metz has written philosophical essays for a broad audience.[17] Moreover, he has been interviewed about African morality[18] and the meaning of life.[19]
Honours
[edit]Metz was elected to the Academy of Science of South Africa.[20]
As of 2019 Metz had been awarded an 'A' rating from the South African National Research Foundation on three occasions.[21] A-ratings are given to researchers who are widely recognized by their peers as leading international experts in their fields, based on the exceptional quality and impact of their recent research contributions.[22]
In 2020 Metz was designated one of 'The World's Top 50 Thinkers' by Prospect Magazine.[23]
External links
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Thaddeus Metz". Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Prof. Thaddeus Metz | University of Pretoria". www.up.ac.za. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "Prof. Thaddeus Metz | University of Pretoria". www.up.ac.za. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Reporter, Sun. "MZANSI'S FIRST BLACK WOMAN DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY!". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ original, "amongst other remarks from the examiners were that Dr Tshivhase's Doctorate is 'consistently; interesting; insightful'; Brilliant'.", 'Absolutely. "Meet the first African woman from South Africa to earn a PhD in Philosophy". University of Johannesburg News. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "#UPGraduation2023: UP student becomes the first African woman from Botswana to get a PhD in philosophy | University of Pretoria". www.up.ac.za. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "Citation Rankings of Philosophers Based on Scopus Data (updated)". Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "2020/21 Human Sciences Research Council - Universities South Africa" (PDF).
- ^ "Thaddeus Metz". Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ https://scielo.org.za/pdf/ahrlj/v11n2/11.pdf
- ^ University of Pretoria (2021-09-30). 27th UP Expert Lecture 'Ubuntu's Implications for Philosophical Ethics'. Retrieved 2024-09-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ The Royal Institute of Philosophy (2020-10-31). Thaddeus Metz: "For Reconciliatory Sentencing" - Royal Institute of Philosophy, The London Lectures. Retrieved 2024-09-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ "African Philosophical Inquiry, Vol. 11, 2023" (PDF). African Philosophical Inquiry. 2023.
- ^ "Reconsidering Meaning in Life: A Philosophical Dialogue with Thaddeus Metz" (PDF). Journal of Philosophy of Life.
- ^ "Final Jeopardy: Printing (12/8/16) – Fikkle Fame". 2018-03-29. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Fischer, Tibor (2024-06-18). "What will we do when all our jobs are done for us?". The Spectator. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "Thaddeus Metz". The Conversation. 2020-04-15. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Brain in a Vat (2022-11-06). African Ethics: A Superior Moral Framework? | Thaddeus Metz. Retrieved 2024-09-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Life, meaning and chocolate ice cream". ABC listen. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "Members – ASSAf". Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "2019 NRF Awards" (PDF).
- ^ "UJ researchers receive top honours at 2019 NRF Awards". University of Johannesburg News. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Team, Prospect. "The world's top 50 thinkers 2020". www.prospectmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-05.