James Higginbotham
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The Meaning of Rising
Philosophy Department Scales Ranks
By Katherine Yungmee Kim
USC College’s philosophy department is continuing on its upward trajectory. A recent Philosophical Gourmet Report —
a widely read, online rating system that charts English-speaking
graduate programs in philosophy — moved the USC department up 22 spots
from 46th to 24th overall in its 2004-6 rankings. It also listed USC as
one of the two best departments in the world in the field of philosophy
of language.
And with this year’s senior faculty hires — George Wilson, from the
University of California at Davis, and James Van Cleve, from Brown
University — USC will cement its reputation as a world-class
department.
Wilson, who also has made important contributions to the philosophy of
language and action, is also a specialist in the aesthetics of film —
an area in which he is regarded to have no peer. Excited to join the
ranks at USC, Wilson said that he was attracted to the university
because “it is hard to think of any university anywhere where my
interests in film would be better supported.” He adds, “There is a lot
of ‘buzz’ in the philosophical community about the USC department.”
Van Cleve is an epistemologist. Epistemologists study the nature of
knowledge, its foundations, extent and validity. This fall, he is
teaching “Studies in Modern Philosophy,” with an emphasis on British
empiricism, and a seminar on Scottish philosopher David Hume. He also
is devising a metaphysics course on time and time travel.
“The new appointments lead me to think that when 2006 rolls around, USC
will almost certainly move towards the top 10 to 15 overall,” said
Brian Leiter, the professor of law and philosophy at the University of
Texas at Austin, who founded the Philosophical Gourmet Report in 1989.
These latter-day appointments are “not objects of chance, but came
about through the diligent efforts of myself and my colleagues,” said
James Higginbotham, the Linda MacDonald Hilf Chair in
Philosophy.
“From the beginning it was understood that we would be in the course of
rebuilding the school of philosophy. I was appointed at USC precisely
in order that I could serve as the catalyst,” said Higginbotham, who is
also a professor of linguistics. He came to USC in 2000 from Oxford
University, where he was the Professor of General Linguistics.
Several decades ago, the department of philosophy had a considerable
nation-wide reputation. But the departure of four of its best-known
scholars, followed by a recession that slowed hiring, left the
department diminished.
In fact, Higginbotham was the first outside appointment at the senior
level in many years. With the support of the Senior Faculty Hiring
Initiative — a campaign to recruit 100 distinguished scholars to the
College — Higginbotham has expanded the faculty from 12 to 18. The new
faculty include last year’s breakthrough hires of leading philosophers
of language Scott Soames from Princeton University and Jeffrey King
from UC Davis, as well as Andrei Marmor, a philosopher of law with a
joint appointment in the law school. Assistant professors include
Stephen Finlay, an ethicist appointed in 2002, and David Manley, a
specialist in the philosophy of mind who began in fall.
“The quality of a Ph.D. program is entirely a function of the quality
of the faculty,” said Leiter. He attributed USC’s dramatic rise to the
appointments of Soames, King and Higginbotham — “three distinguished
philosophers of language in one department,” as well as the
“increasingly high profile” of others in the department.
Among these are Sharon Lloyd and Gideon Yaffe. Yaffe’s reputation has
been boosted by his emergence as a leading scholar of the Scottish
philosopher Thomas Reid. The imminent release of Lloyd’s book on Thomas
Hobbes’ moral philosophy from Cambridge Press, which complements her
earlier work on Hobbes’ political philosophy, has been much anticipated
by her peers.
“This is now probably one of the best departments in the country for
the history of modern philosophy. With recent additions, it will become
even stronger,” Lloyd said.
To build the department further, Higginbotham’s plan calls for hiring
scholars from all the major areas of contemporary philosophy, and
reaching a total of 22 faculty.
A distinguished ethicist is his next recruitment goal. “Anecdotally,” he said, “when I’ve asked around, people go, ‘Well, everyone
would like to make a senior appointment in ethics.’ It’s very hard to
find the people and still harder to find those that are moveable.”
But if any department were to attract faculty candidates, it would likely be USC, which is on the rise in ranks and reputation.
“It certainly is our ambition to become the best philosophy department
on the West Coast and one of the very best in the country,” said Wilson.
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