A degree from Cornell University in 1958 shifted the career trajectory of a student who initially intended to pursue physics. Thomas Nagel eventually turned his attention toward the complexities of ethics, political theory, and the philosophy of mind, building an academic reputation that spanned multiple continents and prestigious institutions throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Early Development and Academic Training
Born in Belgrade in 1937, Nagel moved to the United States as a child and later became a naturalized citizen. His formal philosophical education began at Cornell, followed by time at the University of Oxford on a Fulbright Scholarship. He earned his PhD from Harvard University in 1963, having studied under John Rawls, whose work he assisted during his doctoral studies. His dissertation focused on the concept of altruism, setting the foundation for his future contributions to moral theory.
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Nagel held academic positions at several prominent universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton University. He eventually secured a long-term position at New York University, where he served as a professor of philosophy and law. Throughout his tenure, he helped establish core professional structures in the field, including the co-founding of the journal Philosophy & Public Affairs and the Society for Ethical and Legal Philosophy.
Philosophical Inquiry and Reductionism
The focus of his scholarship centers on the limits of objective scientific understanding. In his writing, he suggests that a purely objective perspective, or a view from nowhere, fails to capture the essential nature of subjective experience. This critique of material reductionism appears across several of his publications, including his analysis of consciousness in Mind and Cosmos. He maintains that while scientific inquiry is valid for describing the physical world, it remains inherently incomplete when addressing the nature of the mind.
Fast facts
- Born: 1937, Belgrade
- Citizenship: United States
- Primary Fields: Ethics, Political Theory, Philosophy of Mind
- Notable Work: Mind and Cosmos
- Notable Work: View from Nowhere
- Award: Balzan Prize (2008)
- Award: Rolf Schock Prize in Logic and Philosophy (2008)
- Religion: Atheism
Questions readers ask
What is the central argument in Nagel's critique of science?
He argues that scientific attempts at objective explanation are unable to account for the internal, subjective perspective of a conscious thinker.
Which academic institutions employed Thomas Nagel?
He held positions at the University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, and New York University.
Achievements
- Balzan Prize — 2008
- Rolf Schock Prize in Logic and Philosophy — 2008
- Notable work: What Is It Like to Be a Bat?
- Notable work: Mind and Cosmos
- Notable work: View from nowhere
- Held posts at New York University and University of California, Berkeley
- Fields: philosophy, ethics and political theory
