Memorial for David Braybrooke
Today we celebrate the life of David Braybrooke. His rich and varied life has touched
each of us, often profoundly. He became my mentor shortly after Dalhousie hired me
in Philosophy forty-five years ago. His generosity of spirit was evident from the start
when in the course of my interview in Boston he pretended not to notice that I had
confused Nova Scotia with Newfoundland. You are thinking that I did much better
when it came to philosophy. Not always, but he was generous there too, preferring
wherever possible to reconstruct a contrary philosophical position, whether mine or
that of a colleague, by making it more plausible and interesting than in the form
originally intended. In this spirit of charity and collegiality, he cultivated in our small
department not only mutual respect but, equally important, the understanding that
each of us is engaged in a common philosophical enterprise whose success demands
all the skills, resources, and collaboration that we can muster.
Times were kinder in the 70s and 80s, and gradually the department expanded from
four to twelve. With growth the culture of mutual respect that David had nurtured
was sometimes put to severe tests, but while he was in the department, a vivid and
inspiring presence, we strove to embody this ideal. We did so, I am sure, because he
led by example. His own treatment of students and colleagues could not help but
evoke in each of us not just admiration but the desire to emulate him in showing
common decency and integrity. After mandatory retirement in 1990, when he took
up appointments at the University of Texas at Austin, as Professor of Philosophy and
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of Government, we continued to strive to reflect his example, but it was much
harder when our contact was limited to his extended visits in the summers. Now it
will be harder still.
As if to anticipate this problem David long ago created and fostered some enduring
institutions, such as the Wednesday Philosophy Department faculty lunch at this
University Club, to which doctoral students in philosophy are welcome. David would
usually come prepared to regale us with some inadvertently paradoxical newspaper
headline or magazine statement. We miss his devilish, philosophically entertaining
sense of humour. Decades ago he instigated the Friday afternoon philosophy
colloquia, that meet every week and continue to thrive, having an international
reputation and being a key feature of our graduate program. More than forty years
ago he brought back into life the Atlantic Regional Philosophical Association, whose
meetings this fall Dalhousie will host with the renowned American philosopher
Philip Kitcher giving the keynote address on “Rethinking Ethics”. David would have
been delighted to engage his colleagues and our guest on this topic. Indeed, the
event has been made financially possible through the 23 years old Austin and
Hempel speaker series that each year brings distinguished philosophers to the
Dalhousie community. David created and funded this important series, though he
did not allow us to name him when we would give public thanks to “the anonymous
donor”. His family permits us to acknowledge him now. These traditions were
created without his ever being chair of our department. He never wanted to be. He
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preferred to lead us in a way that enhanced our sense of autonomy and shared
responsibility.
His magnanimous spirit was, however, continuous with his philosophical thought,
which is prodigious in its scope and depth and reflected in how he conducted his
life. Remarkably, he published 155 scholarly articles and reviews and 13 books,
covering a range of topics in economics, social theory, and political and moral
philosophy. He gave the most sustained attention, however, to the core concepts of
needs, rights, and rules and their role in a comprehensive program for democratic
action. His concerns are reflected in the titles of his books, such as: Three Tests for
Democracy: Personal Rights; Human Welfare; Collective Preference (1968), Meeting
Needs (1987), Moral Objectives, Rules, and the Forms of Social Change (1998),
Natural Law Modernized (2001), Utilitarianism: Restoration; Repairs; Renovations
(2004), and Analytical Political Philosophy: From Discourse, Edification (2005). These
concerns were reflected in how he taught his classes and how he treated colleagues
within Dalhousie and beyond. More than any philosopher I have known personally,
he lived his philosophy and we are the beneficiaries.
We know that he was not pleased that his arresting original work in utilitarianism,
treated not as a moral calculus but as an instrument of democratic social change, has
been largely ignored. He thought that when his understanding of basic needs, their
natural relation to rule-based rights, and his census method of resolving conflicts in
needs were incorporated into utilitarianism, the standard objections, especially
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those concerning justice, would simply not apply, and theory would better reflect
the moral insights of Hume, Bentham, Mill, and Sidgwick. He may well be right. To
show that the Philosophy Department recognizes the significance of his thought we
created a festschrift in honour of his 80th birthday: Engaged Philosophy: Essays in
Honour of David Braybrooke, edited by Sue Sherwin and Peter Schotch. Then
Dalhousie University two years ago bestowed on him an honourary degree. We
know both meant a lot to him. Alex Rosenberg helps to put things into perspective.
David mentored Alex when he was a post-doc here and then a member of our
department in the early 70s. Last week, Alex wrote on face book: “[David
Braybrooke] was a vastly under-appreciated force in political philosophy, political
economy and the philosophy of social science. Along with Martin Hollis he defined
the modern shape of the field. Like Lord Acton, in a hundred years people will still
be reading his work.” I would add that while we live it will be impossible for us to
forget his compassion, his compelling vision of social justice, his unassuming but
inspiring generosity, and his profound sense of fun and love of life.
Richmond Campbell
…read at A Celebration of David Braybrooke’s Life at The University Club of
Dalhousie University, on Saturday September 7 at 2:30 pm