The John Howard Harris Professor of Philosophy at Bucknell University, Gary Steiner, focuses his intellectual output on the intersection of European philosophy and the moral standing of nonhuman animals. Born in 1956, this American academic has built a career examining how historical rationalism informs contemporary attitudes toward speciesism and the ethical treatment of living beings.
Academic Foundation
Steiner completed his formal education at Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley. These institutions provided the grounding for his later work in the fields of continental philosophy and ethics. Following his studies, he established his career in Pennsylvania as a faculty member at Bucknell University, where he continues to hold his professorial chair.
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Central to his body of work is the critique of anthropocentrism in Western thought. In his 2005 publication, Anthropocentrism and Its Discontents, he investigates the historical moral status of animals. He expanded these themes in 2008 with Animals and the Moral Community, followed by Animals and the Limits of Postmodernism in 2013, and the 2024 text, What We Owe to Nonhuman Animals, which emphasizes the ideal of felt kinship.
Engagement with Descartes and European Traditions
His 2004 book, Descartes As a Moral Thinker, examines the connections between Christianity, technology, and nihilism within the Cartesian framework.
Public and Scholarly Discourse
Beyond long-form books, Steiner contributes to the public understanding of animal ethics through various media. His essay titled Animal, Vegetable, Miserable appeared in The New York Times in November 2009. He has also engaged in academic dialogues, including a 2010 lecture at the University of Heidelberg and discussions regarding the cognitive abilities of animals for collections published by Columbia University Press.
Fast facts
- Born: 1956
- Citizenship: United States
- Current Employer: Bucknell University
- Primary Fields: Ethics, animal rights, European philosophy
- Education: Yale University, University of California, Berkeley
- Notable Book: Descartes As a Moral Thinker (2004)
- Published Year: 2024
Questions readers ask
What is the primary focus of Gary Steiner’s academic work?
His research focuses on animal rights, European philosophy, and the moral status of animals as viewed through the history of Western philosophy.
Where does Gary Steiner teach?
He is the John Howard Harris Professor of Philosophy at Bucknell University.
Achievements
- Held posts at Bucknell University
- Fields: philosophy, ethics and animal rights
