TED HONDERICH

CURRICULUM VITAE

Grote Professor Emeritus of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London

Visiting Professor, University of Bath

Chairman Emeritus, Royal Institute of Philosophy

Principal interests: being conscious, mind and brain etc, determinism and its consequences for us, the mistake of taking determinism to be just compatible or just incompatible with freedom, causation and other connections of law, right and wrong, humanity and equality, terrorism, democracy, the tradition of conservatism, state punishment, philosophy as ordinary logic

 

INDEX

Informal Summary

Details

Principal Books

Edited Books

Selected Papers

Editing of Series of Books

College & University Administration etc

Some Reviews, Lectures, Journalism, Broadcasts etc

Memberships

Literary Agent

 

INFORMAL SUMMARY

 

1933    Born Baden, Ontario, Canada, of John William Honderich and Rae Laura Armstrong. Undergraduate at the University of Toronto. In 1959 preferred graduate work with the Logical Positivist A. J. Ayer at University College London to graduate work at Harvard. Remained at UCL when Ayer left the Grote Chair to return to Oxford. Supervised by Stuart Hampshire, Bernard Williams, Richard Wollheim. Went native  in England, became British citizen. Also democratic socialist, proud of small civil disobedience of having sat down in Parliament Square with Bertrand Russell, resolute Leftwing books.

 

 1962   First lectureship in philosophy at University of Sussex, two years.  On returning to University College London, was successively Lecturer, Reader, Professor, and then Grote Professor. Visiting professor at Yale University, Graduate Centre of the City University of New York, Brooklyn College, University of Lethbridge.

 

1960/70's  Journal articles on the nature of truth, Russell's theory of descriptions. Commissioned book Punishment: The Supposed Justifications (1969). Articles on causation, determinism, the nature of time, justice, and John Stuart Mill's On Liberty. Because of punishment book, invited pieces on political violence. Became Three Essays on Political Violence (1977), later revised and republished as Violence for Equality: Inquiries in Political Philosophy.

 

1980's  Philosophy of Mind articles on psychoneural or mind-brain lawlike connection, against Donald Davidson's Anomalous Monism. Main book A Theory  of Determinism: The Mind, Neuroscience, and Life-Hopes , 644 pp (1988). Not widely read, republished as paperbacks Mind and Brain and The Consequences of Determinism. 1981 article proposing fundamental principle of justice or equality, later rechristened Principle of Humanity.

 

1990's  Articles included advocacy of the Union Theory of mind and brain in place of the Identity Theory, and pieces on consciousness, its subjectivity, perception, neural functionalism, hierarchic democracy, and moral consequentialism. Books Conservatism (1990), in hope of helping to defeat that political tradition in the coming election, and How Free are You? (1993), subsequently translated seven times. Book edited was The Oxford Companion to Philosophy.

 

Also 1990's  Articles proceeding from conviction, widely enough shared, that current Philosophy of Mind, whatever is to be said of various sciences of the mind, has run into a dead end. Existing theories of the nature consciousness either devout physicalism or spiritualism -- mysterious dualism. Something different needed.

 

2001   A book Philosopher: A Kind of Life, a philosophical autobiography and a kind of picture of a profession and academic life. Attempt at personal truth. Successful.

 

2002    After the Terror prompted  by September 11, but about more, including morality, acts and omissions. In passing, a  moral defence of the Palestinians against neo-Zionism, i.e. enlargement of Israel after 1967. Book charged with anti-semitism in Germany as a result, 'banned' by original publisher, republished by another Jewish publisher, large controversy.

 

Since 2003  Collection of papers On Consciousness, public controversy with Colin McGinn about his critical review, maybe unprecedented in recent philosophical decades. Collection of papers On Political Means and Social Ends (not = the earlier Social Ends and Political Means). Considerable revision of Violence for Equality: Inquiries in Political Philosophy, under new title Terrorism for Humanity: Inquiries in Political Philosophy.

 

Also since 2003  Collection of papers On Determinism and Freedom, and greatly revised edition of Conservatism under title Conservatism: Burke, Nozick, Bush, Blair? New and revised edition of  the punishment book of 1969. A second edition of The Oxford Companion to Philosophy.

 

2006  Humanity, Terrorism, Terrorist War: Palestine, 9/11, Iraq, 7/7... Published in America as Right and Wrong, and Palestine, 9/11, Iraq, 7/7....

 

2006  Work towards new theory of nature of consciousness -- Radical Externalism or Consciousness as Existence -- the subject of 11 articles by other philosophers in special edition of the Journal of Consciousness Studies. Also published as book, Radical Externalism: Honderich's Theory of Consciousness Discussed. Fundamental proposition: what it is for you to be perceptually conscious is for a state of affairs to exist in a way outside your head. Not literary or metaphorical utterance or the like, but proposal for literal conceptual revision. 

2014 Publication of Actual Consciousness, completion of new theory of consciousness. Basis of occasional hope for posthumous existence. Further strengthening of Lef t morals and politics. Contemplating book of.

 

1965-1990  Time also spent editing three series of philosophy books: The International Library of Philosophy and Scientific Method, and The Arguments of the Philosophers, and The Problems of Philosophy:Their Past and Present, for Routledge. Also various titles for Penguin.

 

Lived in Hampstead in London for decades, changed less than it, found better place for philosophy in Somerset, then in 2007 Highgate Wood, aka Muswell Hill Road, London. Happy husband of Ingrid Coggin Purkiss as she was, exemplary critic and gardener, lately The Secretary of The Royal Institute of Philosophy. Fourth marriage. Father of Kiaran Honderich and John Ruan Honderich, by second of four marriages. Many liaisons, no deception.

 

Recreations: wine, old  vicarage, Land Rover in Somerset, north London again, being read all of Trollope novels, decent and inexpensive restaurants, lunch at Garrick Club on Friday.

 

 

DETAILS

 

Edgar Dawn Ross Honderich

30 January 1933

Nationality: British

 

66, Muswell Hill Rd., London, N10 3JR

t.honderich@ucl.ac.uk

website: http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho

 

Education at home and at schools in Baden, Kitchener, and Toronto. University of Toronto, entrance scholarship, awards and prizes. B.A. Hons. Philosophy and English Literature, 1959. Postgraduate awards by British Council, Canada Council, Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Programme. Ph.D in Philosophy, University College London, 1968.

 

Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Sussex, 1962-64

Lecturer, University College London, 1964-72

Reader, 1972-83

Professor, 1983-88

Visiting Professor, Yale, 1970

Visiting Professor, Graduate Centre, City University of New York, 1971

Grote Professor of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London 1988-98

Vice Chairman, The Royal Institute of Philosophy, 1995-2005

Chairman, The Royal Institute of Philosophy, 2005-

Visiting Professor, University of Bath, 2003-

 

 

PRINCIPAL BOOKS

16   Actual Consiousness, Oxford University Press, 2014,     

15   Radical Externalism: Honderich's Theory of Consciousness Discussed, Imprint Academic, 2006, ed. Anthony Freeman. Half of book by T.H. -- opening paper and 11 other papers in reply to 11 papers by philosophers Harold Brown, Tim Crane, James Garvey, Stephen Law, E. J. Lowe, Derek Matravers, Paul Noordhof, Ingmar Persson, Stephen Priest, Barry C. Smith, Paul Snowdon.

 

14   Humanity, Terrorism, Terrorist War: Palestine, 9/11, Iraq, 7,7..., Continuum, UK edition, 2006; Right and Wrong and Palestine, 9/11, Iraq, 7/7... Seven Stories Press, US edition.

 

13   Punishment, the Supposed Justifications Revisited, Pluto Press, 2006. Greatly revised edition of Punishment, The Supposed Justifications.

 

12   Conservatism: Burke, Nozick, Bush, Blair? Pluto Press, 2005, greatly revised and enlarged edition of Conservatism.

 

11   On Determinism and Freedom, collected papers, Edinburgh University Press, 2005

 

10   On Consciousness, collected papers, Edinburgh University Press, 2004

 

9   Terrorism for Humanity: Inquiries in Political Philosophy, Pluto Press, 2004, revised and retitled edition. German translation.

 

8   On Political Means and Social Ends, collected papers, Edinburgh University Press, 2003

 

7   After the Terror, Edinburgh University Press, 2002. German translations Suhrkamp Verlag and then Melzer Verlag, 2002. Expanded edition 2003. Greek, Japanese translations.

 

6   Philosopher: A Kind of Life, Routledge, 2001

 

5   How Free Are You? The Determinism Problem, Oxford University Press, 1993. German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, Polish, Romanian translations, Enlarged edition 2002.

 

4   Conservatism, Hamish Hamilton, Westfield, Penguin, 1990, 1991. Spanish, German translations.

 

3   A Theory of Determinism: The Mind, Neuroscience and Life-Hopes, Oxford University Press, 1998, 644 pp. 1st half republished as Mind and Brain, 2nd as The Consequences of Determinism 1990.

 

2   Three Essays on Political Violence, Blackwells, Political Violence, Cornell University Press, 1976. In 1980, 1989, somewhat enlarged edition entitled Violence for Equality: Inquiries in Political Philosophy, Penguin, Routledge.

 

1   Punishment: The Supposed Justifications, Hutchinson, Harcourt Brace, Penguin, Polity, Pluto Press, 1969, 1971, 1984, 1989

 

 

EDITED BOOKS

9    Philosophers of Our Times. Royal Institute of Philosophy Annual Lectures. Introductions by editor. 2014.

8   Oxford Companion to Philosophy, ed., Oxford University Press, new edition, Feb 2005

 

7   A. J. Ayer: Writings on Philosophy, ed., 6 volumes, Palgrave Macmillan Archive Press, 2004

 

6   The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, ed., Oxford University Press, 1995. Arabic, Polish, Spanish translations. Excerpts in The Philosophers: Introducing Great Western Thinkers, Oxford University Press, 1999

 

5   Morality and Objectivity: A Tribute to J. L. Mackie, ed., Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985

 

4   Philosophy Through Its Past, anthology, ed., Penguin, 1984

 

3   Philosophy As It Is, anthology, co-ed. with Myles Burnyeat, Allen Lane, Penguin, 1979

 

2   Social Ends and Political Means, ed., Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1976

 

1   Essays on Freedom of Action, ed., Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1973

 

 

SELECTED PAPERS

 

2004  'Introduction to the Collection', A. J. Ayer: Writings on Philosophy, 6 volumes, Palgrave Macmillan Archive Press

 

2004  'Consciousness as Existence, Devout Physicalism, Spiritualism', Mind and

Matter

 

2004  'After Compatibilism and Incompatibilism', Freedom and Determinism, ed.

Joseph Keim Campbell, Michael O'Rourke, David Shier, MIT Press

 

2004  'Palestinian Terrorism, Morality and Germany', Rechtsphilosophisches

Hefte, x

 

2003  'After the Terror: A Book and Further Thoughts', Journal of Ethics

 

2003  'Perceptual, Reflective and Affective Consciousness as Existence', Minds

and Persons, Royal Institute of Philosophy Lectures, ed. Anthony O'Hear

 

2003  '20 Million Years of Living Time', The Monist

 

2002  'Determinism as True, Compatibilism and Incompatibilism as False, and the

Real Problem', The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, ed. Robert Kane

 

2001  'Consciousness As Existence, and the End of Intentionality', Philosophy at

the New Millenium, Royal Institute of Philosophy Lectures, ed. Anthony O'Hear

 

2001  'Mind the Guff: A Response to John Searle', Journal of Consciousness

Studies

 

2000  'Consciousness as Existence Again', Proceedings of the Twentieth World

Congress of Philosophy, also Theoria

 

2000  'Consciousness and Inner Tubes: On David Papineau's Introducing

Consciousness', Journal of Consciousness Studies

 

1998  'Compatibilism, Incompatibilism, and the Smart Aleck', Philosophy and

Phenomenological Review

 

1998  'Consciousness as Existence', Current Issues in the Philosophy of Mind,

Royal Institute of Philosophy Lectures, ed. Anthony O'Hear

 

1996  'Consequentialism, Moralities of Concern, and Selfishness', Philosophy

 

1995  'Consciousness, Neural Functionalism, Real Subjectivity', American

Philosophical Quarterly

 

1994  'Hierarchic Democracy and the Necessity of Mass Civil Disobedience',

Conway Memorial Lecture, South Place Ethical Society

 

1994  'Functionalism, Identity Theories, The Union Theory', The Mind-Body

Problem: The Current State of the Debate, ed. T. Szubka & R. Warner,

Blackwells

 

1994  'Seeing Things', Synthese

 

1993  'The Union Theory and Anti-Individualism', Mental Causation, ed. J. Heil

and A. Mele, Oxford University Press

 

1992  'Causation: One Thing Just Happens After Another', The Philosophy of A. J.

Ayer, The Library of Living Philosophers, ed. L. E. Hahn, Open Court

 

1992  'Seeing Qualia and Positing the World', A. J. Ayer Memorial Essays, 1989-90 Royal Institute of Philosophy Lecture Series, Cambridge University Press, ed. A. Phillips-Griffiths

 

1992  'Conservatism Not Much Reconsidered', Utilitas

 

1992  'Conservatism, Ideology, Rationale and a Red Light', Radical Philosophy

 

1991  'Afterward to the Paperback Edition', Conservatism, Penguin

 

1991  'Better the Union Theory', Analysis

 

1990  'Introduction', A. J. Ayer, The Meaning of Life and Other Essays,

Weidenfeld

 

1987  'Mind, Brain and Self-Conscious Mind', Mindwaves, ed. C. Blakemore

 

1987  'Causation:  Rejoinder to Sanford'. Philosophy

 

1986  'Mind, Brain and Time: Rejoinder to Libet', Journal of Theoretical

Biology

 

1985  'Punishment, the New Retributivism, and Political Philosophy', Royal

Institute of Philosophy Proceedings

 

1984  'The Time of a Conscious Sensory Experience and Mind-Brain Theories',

Journal of  Theoretical Biology

 

1984  'The Principle of Equality: Reply to Nathan', Mind

 

1984  'Smith and the Champion of Mauve', Analysis

 

1984  'Actions and Psychophysical Intimacy', Inquiry

 

1983  'The Principle of Equality Defended', Politics

 

1983  'Anomalous Monism:  Reply to Smith', Analysis

 

1983  'Against Teleological Historical Materialism', Inquiry

 

1982  'On Liberty and Morality-Dependent Harms', Political Studies

 

1982  'Determinism and Politics', Midwest Studies in Philosophy

 

1982  'Causes and "If p, even if x, still q"', Philosophy

 

1982  'The Argument for Anomalous Monism', Analysis

 

1981  'Nomological Dualism:  Reply to Four Critics', Inquiry

 

1981  'Psychophysical Lawlike Connections and Their Problem', Inquiry,

with commenting articles by J. L. Mackie, S. Stich, T. L. S. Sprigge, E.

Wilson

 

1981  'The Problem of Well-being and the Principle of Equality', Mind

 

1980  Critical discussion of Anthony Kenny, Will, Freedom and Power and Freewill

and Responsibility, in Mind

 

1979  'Four Conclusions about Violence of the Left', Canadian Journal of

Philosophy, 1979, also in Assent and Dissent, ed. J. P. White, Kendall

Hunt

 

1977  'Temporal Relations and Temporal Qualities', Time and Philosophy (French

translation Le Temps et Les Philosophies), ed. Paul Ricoeur, UNESCO

 

1977  'Causes and Causal Circumstances as Necessitating'. Proceedings of the

Aristotelian Society

 

1975  'On Inequality and Violence, and Differences We Make Between Them', Royal

Institute of Philosophy Lectures

 

1975  'The Use of the Basic Proposition of a Theory of Justice', Mind

 

1974  'The Worth of J. S. Mill's On Liberty', Political Studies

 

1973  'A Difficulty with Democracy', Philosophy and Public Affairs

 

1973  'One Determinism', Essays on Freedom of Action, ed. Honderich

 

1973  'Democratic Violence', Philosophy and Public Affairs

 

1975  'Appraisals of Political Violence', Issues in Law and Morality, Proceedings Oberlin Colloquium, ed. Norman Care and Thomas Trelogan, Case Western Reserve University Press

 

1970  'A Conspectus of Determinism'. Supplementary Proceedings of the

Aristotelian Society

 

1969  'On Russell's Theory of Descriptions', Proceedings of the Aristotelian

Society

 

1968  'Truth', Studies in Logical Theory, American Philosophical Quarterly

Monograph, ed. Nicholas Rescher

 

1968  'Mill on Liberty', Inquiry

 

1962  Bertrand Russell, Logic and Knowledge, review, Philosophy

 

 

EDITING OF SERIES OF BOOKS

 

1965-80  The International Library of Philosophy and Scientific Method, Routledge. c. 15 vols

 

1980-95  The Arguments of the Philosophers, Routledge, c. 15 vols.

 

1990-95  The Problems of Philosophy: Their Past and Present, c. 10 vols. Routledge.

 

1965-80 Penguin Philosophy books, c. 12 vols.

 

 

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION ETC.

 

2005- Chairman, The Royal Institute of Philosophy, 2005-

 

1995-2005 Vice-Chairman, The Royal Institute of Philosophy

 

1989 Literary Executor, A. J. Ayer

 

1987-92 Head, Department of Philosophy, University College London

 

1986-9 Chairman, University of London Board of Philosophical Studies

 

1987-90 Chairman, University Boards of Examiners in Philosophy

 

1965-74 Departmental Tutor, Philosophy Department, UCL

 

various years Professorial Board, Academic Board, Library Committee, Committee on College  Governance, Pensions and Superannuation Committee, Appointment Committees

 

various years External Examiner, University of Ghana

 

 

SOME REVIEWS, LECTURES, JOURNALISM, BROADCASTS etc.

 

1969-2006  lectures, talks to university philosophy departments, academic conferences, e.g. annual Towards A Science of Consciousness conference, in U.K., U.S., Canada, Ireland, continental European countries, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Iran, Hawaii

 

2006   'The Real Friends of Terror', documentary television programme, Channel Five, Don't Get Me Started series, Liberty Bell Productions

 

2006   Discussion of Punishment: The Supposed Justifications Revisited, BBC Thinking Allowed programme, with Laurie Taylor

 

2005   'Humanity and Terrorism', House of Lords committee room debate with Lord Layard, Lord Parekh, Baroness O'Neill

 

2005   'On Being Persona Non Grata to Palestinians Too', CounterPunch

 

2004   'The Justification of Punishment', American public radio, Chicago

 

2004   'Mr Blair as Moralist', The Independent

 

2004   'Ted Honderich and the Newspaper LondonStudent, and a Postscript', http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/LondonStudent.html

 

2004   'The Way Things Are and the Need for a New Disrespect', lecture to Edinburgh Festival, Gothenberg Book Fair, Bath Festival

 

2003-4   entries on determinism & freedom for Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Oxford Companion to the Mind, Dictionary of the History of Ideas

 

2003   'The Fall and Rise of a Book in Germany: A Brief Account and Guide to Further Reading', http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho

 

2003   'Are Suicide Bombings Morally Defensible? A Reply to Richard Wolin', Chronicle of Higher Education, 24 October, http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/Wolinmyreply.html

 

2003   'I Have Not Changed My Mind: After the Terror, Germany, Palestine', Junge Welt, 14 November http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/terrnochangeEngl.html

 

2003   German television & radio on After the Terror

 

2003   'Banning a Book', Frankfurter Rundschau, 6 August http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/BrumlikReplybyTHEnglish.html

 

2002   Does the Book Have a Future?, Frome Festival Talk, privately printed, The Old School Press

 

2002   review, Bernard Williams, Truth and Truthfulness, in The Guardian

 

2002   'Good Enough?', review, Simon Blackburn, Being Good, in The Times

 

2002   'Oxfam G.B., £5000, Neo-Zionism, After the Terror, and Medical Aid for Palestinians', http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/ATTOxfam1.htm

 

2000   'Yes, Tony's Talking that Equality Talk', The Guardian

 

2000   'Hampstead: Goodbye To All That', Camden New Journal, http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/hampstead.htm

 

2000   'You Gotta Read It', review, John Searle, Mind, Language and Society, in Times Literary Supplement, http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/HonderichreviewSearle.html

 

1999? 'Consciousness', discussion with Roger Penrose, BBC In Our Time programme, chairman Melvyn Bragg. http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctytho/PenroseHonderichBragg.html

 

1992   Newsnight, BBC, on J. S. Mill and the enforcement of morality

 

1992   'America on Trial', discussion with Profs. Kennedy, Zander, Channel 4

 

1990   'Fees and Ethics', Times Higher Educational Supplement, 1990

 

1990   'Free Will Discussed', with Janet Radcliffe Richards, BBC Open University broadcast

 

1989   'Simple Names and Language-Games', on Ludwig Wittgenstein, Radio 3

 

1989   'A Conversation with A. J. Ayer', Radio 3

 

1988   'Introduction' to A. J. Ayer, 'The Meaning of Life', Conway Memorial Lecture

 

1988   'Life-Hopes: A Conversation Between Ted Honderich and Mary Warnock', on A Theory of Determinism: The Mind, Neuroscience, and Life-Hopes, Radio 3, 16 May

 

1986   'Reasons', Six Debates, Anglia Television

 

1984   'Voices' programmes, presenter, Channel 4, 1984

 

1984   review, Derek Parfit, Reasons and Persons, in New Statesman, 4 May

 

1982   review, Bernard Williams, Moral Luck, in New Statesman, 15 Jan

 

1981   review, Donald Davidson, Essays on Actions and Events, in New Statesman, 3 April

 

1981   review, C. L. Ten, Mill on Liberty, in Times Higher Educational Supplement

 

1980   critical discussion of Anthony Kenny, Will, Freedom and Power and Freewill and Responsibility, in Mind

 

1977   'Political Violence -- Is It Possible to Have an Open Mind?', The Times, 26 Jan

 

1975   'Letter From Ghana', Radio 3 talk, one of 2 or 3 from Ghana

 

 

MEMBERSHIPS

 

Garrick Club

Aristotelian Society

Mind Association

Labour Party 

Humanists  

Cooperative Society