A Tribute to Ronald de Sousa

Ronnie de Sousa, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, is a philosopher renowned for his outstanding contributions to the philosophy of emotion and biology.

After a childhood spent in Geneva, Switzerland, he studied in England (BA, Oxford) and the United States (PhD, Princeton). He then joined the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto where he has taught throughout his career. He is also a tireless traveler who has lectured and taught around the world.

All those who have had the privilege of meeting him have been struck by his unusual kindness, his unrestrained curiosity and his communicative passion for all things intellectual and, no doubt, sensual too.

Most of the debates that animate the philosophy of emotions to this day originate in his book The Rationality of Emotion (MIT Press, 1987). His research, characterized by its richness and interdisciplinarity, has subsequently continued in many fields, in particular the philosophy of biology (Why Think? Evolution and the Rational Mind, OUP, 2007) and of love (Love: a Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2015). Ronnie presently works on Why is it Ok to be Amoral? in which he builds on his long-standing wariness vis-à-vis sermonizers, preachers and other self-appointed custodians of virtue.

This Festschrift in his honor brings together contributions from philosophers who have been influenced by his writings (or by their conversations with him) and who wish to pay tribute to him. It is accompanied by a conference (Geneva, 23-25 May 2022).

Thanks for everything, Ronnie!