Previous

||

This Issue

||

Next

BOOKSHELF

The Philosopher King

Steven M. Cahn ’63’s fascination with philosophy began during his junior year at the College, when he took a philosophy course with Professor Ernest Nagel. “The challenge of thinking through the foundations of our beliefs interested me,” Cahn recalls. Now a philosophy professor at CUNY’s Graduate Center and a successful author and editor of numerous texts on the subject, Cahn has made a lifelong commitment to passing on this challenge.

Classics of Western Philosophy edited by Steven M. Cahn

A philosophy major who earned his Ph.D. at Columbia in 1966, Cahn has taught at Dartmouth, NYU and Vermont, where he was the department head. He is well known for his widely used anthology, Classics of Western Philosophy (Hackett, $34.95 paper), now in its sixth edition, which includes major works from Plato to Sartre. As the editor, Cahn has not been complacent about his best-selling anthology. “I get responses from people who’ve read the book, and I take them into consideration,” he says. “I’ve made significant changes, adding recent works and filling in gaps.”

Cahn’s philosophical scope extends beyond the study of classics: He has sought to bring attention to ethical issues of public policy. Morality and Public Policy (with Tziporah Kasachkoff, Prentice Hall College Division, 2002, $37.25 paper), a collection of writings that range from gun control to school vouchers to same-sex marriages, sheds light on the moral and ethical implications of the government’s role in legislating these issues. Cahn mentions in the preface that he hopes the collection will encourage philosophers to bring attention to issues of public policy and influence public debate.

The Affirmative Action Debate Edited by Steven M. Cahn

One controversial public policy issue that Cahn has explored in his work is affirmative action. The Affirmative Action Debate (Routledge, 2002, $22.95 paper) is a collection of essays that presents both sides of the complex topic. Cahn believes that this divisive issue is filled with nuances that need to be considered. He is uncomfortable with a system that awards points to applicants in the college admission process for their race or ethnicity, as was done by the University of Michigan. “I don’t think it’s the best way. Each person should be examined in his or her own right,” Cahn says.

Cahn credits Columbia’s Core Curriculum for playing a significant role in his intellectual development and says that he especially values the Art Hum and Music Hum courses. As a Contemporary Civilization student, Cahn read many of the texts that he would later incorporate into his anthology, Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2001, $38 paper), which resembles a thick, one-volume tribute to the course. “The influence of CC on putting the book together is clear,” he says. Outside the classroom, Cahn was an avid chess player at a time when Columbia was known for its chess prowess. He also was the accompanist for the Columbia Chorus and still enjoys playing piano in his free time.

With more than 21 essay collections and anthologies published over 40 years, Cahn has established himself as a renowned editor of philosophical texts. He regards his published works as an extension of his teaching and as a way of providing other instructors with useful teaching materials. Cahn’s specialties include free will, the philosophy of religion, social philosophy and the philosophy of education. Questions About God: Today’s Philosophers Ponder the Divine embodies Cahn’s interest in philosophy of religion and features writings by leading philosophers on the nature of God (with David Shatz, Oxford, 2002, $17.95 paper). Ethics: History, Theory and Contemporary Issues (with Peter Markie, Oxford, 1998, $57.95) is a comprehensive compilation of major works on moral philosophy. The last section, Contemporary Moral Problems, contains readings that discuss current debates such as abortion, animal rights, euthanasia and the death penalty. Puzzles & Perplexities: Collected Essays (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002, $22.95 paper), a collection of Cahn’s personal essays, demonstrates his diverse intrests and includes pieces on topics such as “Job’s Protest” and “The Moriarty Hypothesis,” based on the archfiend of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Professor Moriarty.

Philosophy for the 21st Century edited by Steven M. Cahn

Cahn also is keen on the progress of philosophy. His newest anthology, Philosophy for the 21st Century (Oxford, 2003, $56.95), contains contributions and selected works by eight associate editors who are considered to be “at the forefront of 21st-century philosophy.” The book features historical and contemporary works in a variety of fields including metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of science and more.

Cahn and his wife, Dr. Marilyn Ross Cahn Barnard ’65, divide their time between New York City and Old Greenwich, Conn. Cahn usually works on one book each year while teaching full-time, although eight of his books recently were published within the span of one year. He also serves as president of the John Dewey Foundation and chaired the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy.

P.K.

Previous

||

This Issue

||

Next