Andrew David Irvine

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For other people named Andrew Irvine, see Andrew Irvine (disambiguation).
Andrew David Irvine
photograph
Irvine at UBC (2009)
Born Andrew David Irvine
(1958-07-14) July 14, 1958 (age 65)
Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada
Nationality Canadian
Education B.A.(Hon.) Sask
M.A. UWO
Ph.D. Sydney
Occupation Professor
Employer University of British Columbia
Notable work Socrates on Trial (2008)
Website UBC - Irvine

Andrew David Irvine (born July 14, 1958) is a Canadian academic who teaches at the University of British Columbia. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Sydney University and is Head of Economics, Philosophy and Political Science at UBC Okanagan. He is a past vice-chair of the UBC Board of Governors, a past president of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, and a member of the board of directors of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship. He has held visiting positions at several Canadian and American universities and has been recognized as one of British Columbia’s most influential public intellectuals.[1]

Academic work

Often cited for his work on the twentieth-century philosopher Bertrand Russell,[2][3][4] Irvine has argued in favour of physicalism[5] and against several commonly held views in the history of modern philosophy, including the claim that Gottlob Frege succeeded in developing a workable theory of mathematical platonism[6] and the claim that Bertrand Russell was an advocate of epistemic logicism,[7][8] a claim that one commentator has concluded is now “thoroughly debunked.”[9]

He has defended a two-box solution to Newcomb’s problem in which he abandons “the (false) assumption that past observed frequency is an infallible guide to probability”[10] and a non-cognitivist solution to the liar paradox, noting that “formal criteria alone will inevitably prove insufficient” for determining whether individual sentence tokens have meaning.[11]

In modal logic (which studies theories of possibility and necessity), he has argued in favour of the non-normal system S7, rather than more traditional systems such as S4 or S5.[12] Unlike other systems, S7 allows logicians to choose between competing logics, each of which, if true, would be necessarily true, but none of which are necessarily the correct system of necessary truths. As Irvine puts it, “just as being physically possible means nothing more than being consistent with the laws of physics, being logically possible means nothing more than being consistent with the laws of logic. However, this leaves open the question of which logic and which consistency relation are to be adopted. S7 gives us the language to discuss the possible denial of necessary truths. S7 gives us the language to assert not only that some propositions really are necessary; it gives us the language also to note that their denials, although impossible, remain possibly possible.”[13] In other words, there is a mechanism in which even sets of necessary truths can be compared to their alternatives.

Political work

An advocate of traditional democratic civil liberties, Irvine has argued in favour of free speech rights, both for political reasons[14] and in the context of defending academic freedom.[15][16]

Together with Stephen Wexler, he has argued that modern constitutional protections of the rule of law can trace their roots as far back as Socrates' demand that even lawmakers must be bound by the law. It was this demand that led to Aristotle’s distinction between psephismata (votes of the assembly) and nomos (statute law), and to the resulting debate over how best to decide questions of legal supremacy within a democracy.[17] Together with Jason Gratl, he has argued that, in its modern form, the rule of law helps resolve tensions between national security and public accountability[18] and, together with John Whyte, he has argued that care needs to be taken with regard to electoral reform, especially when it comes to implementing proposals focusing on proportional representation.[19] He is often cited in the media on issues ranging from free speech[20][21][22][23] and academic freedom [24] to parliamentary procedure[25] and judicial activism.[26]

Theatre work

In 2007 Irvine premiered Socrates on Trial, a play depicting the life and death of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. The play tells the story of how Socrates was put on trial for corrupting the youth of Athens and for failing to honour the city’s gods. The play contains adaptations of several classic Greek works including the slapstick comedy Clouds, written by Aristophanes and first performed in 423 BCE, and the dramatic monologue Apology, written by Plato to record the defence speech Socrates gave at his trial in 399 BCE. The premiere was directed by Joan Bryans of Vital Spark Theatre Company at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver.[27]

In the words of one reviewer, “The play is refreshingly illuminating on the relationship between Socrates’ execution and the lasting influence of Aristophanes’ negative depiction of him on the evolution of the Athenian psyche.”[28] According to another, the play not only gives an entertaining portrayal of Plato's famous mentor, but also a fascinating introduction to the “pompous, arrogant and often petulant” individual presented by Aristophanes,[29] giving modern audiences a greater understanding of why Socrates eventually ended up being sentenced to death.

Bibliographical work

In 1999, Irvine produced detailed bibliographies of both the primary[30] and secondary[31] literature surrounding the Nobel Laureate Bertrand Russell. Together with Dawn Ogden, he also produced the first bibliographical index for Russell’s influential book, A History of Western Philosophy.[32] The index is based on the second British edition (of 1979). A conversion table gives page references for both the first American edition (of 1945) and the first British edition (of 1946).

Together with Edmond Rivère, Irvine is the author of the first comprehensive, scholarly bibliography of Canada’s premier literary prize, the Governor General’s Literary Awards.[33] The bibliography covers the history of the awards from their inception in 1936 through to the end of 2013 and appeared in Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada in 2014.

Literary references

In 1994, Irvine served as inspiration for the character Hardy Orbs in the dystopian novel, Fair New World. The novel was written by Lou Marinoff under the pseudonym Lou Tafler. A twentieth-anniversary re-issue in 2014 contained a foreword purportedly written by Orbs.[34]

Books

References

  1. ↑ Douglas Todd, “Who are B.C.’s Biggest Thinkers? Meet the Top 50,” Vancouver Sun, 25 August 2000, A1, A12
  2. ↑ Giannis Triantafillou, “Bertrand Russell is Relevant even Today,” Eleftherotipia (Greece), 21 January 2010
  3. ↑ Juan Ignacio Rodriguez Medina, “Las buenas razones de Bertrand Russell,” Il Mercurio (Chile), 19 August 2012
  4. ↑ Anon., “Guides to Russell’s Writings,” Bertrand Russell Archives, 29 November 2010, http://www.mcmaster.ca/russdocs/writings.htm
  5. ↑ James Robert Brown, “Logic, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2012, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/logic-epistemology-philosophy-of-science
  6. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Frege on Number Properties,” Studia Logica, vol. 96 (2010), 239-60
  7. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Epistemic Logicism and Russell’s Regressive Method,” Philosophical Studies, vol. 55 (1989), 303-27
  8. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Russell on Method,” in Godehard Link (ed.), One Hundred Years of Russell’s Paradox, Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter Publishing Company, 2004, 481-500
  9. ↑ Conor Mayo-Wilson, “Russell on Logicism and Coherence,” Russell: the Journal of Bertrand Russell Studies, vol. 31 (2011), 66; for a less sympathetic appraisal, see Anders Kraal, “The Aim of Russell's Early Logicism: A Reinterpretation,” Synthese, vol. 191 (2014), 1493-1510
  10. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “How Braess’ Paradox Solves Newcomb’s Problem,” International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol. 7 (1993), 141-60 at 157
  11. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Gaps, Gluts, and Paradox,” Canadian Journal of Philosophy, supplementary vol. 18 [Return of the A priori] (1992), 273-99 at 294
  12. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “S7,” Journal of Applied Logic, vol. 11 (2013), 523-529
  13. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “S7,” Journal of Applied Logic, vol. 11 (2013), 527
  14. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Free Speech, Democracy, and the Question of Political Influence,” in W. Wesley Pue (ed.), Pepper in Our Eyes: The APEC Affair, Vancouver: UBC Press, 2000, 29-40
  15. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Let Truth and Falsehood Grapple,” University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 67 (1998), 549-66
  16. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Bertrand Russell and Academic Freedom,” Russell: the Journal of Bertrand Russell Studies, vol. 16 (1996), 5-36
  17. ↑ Stephen Wexler and Andrew David Irvine, “Aristotle on the Rule of Law,” Polis, vol. 23 (2006), 116-38
  18. ↑ Jason Gratl and Andrew David Irvine, “National Security, State Secrecy and Public Accountability,” University of New Brunswick Law Journal, vol. 55 (2005), 251-71
  19. ↑ John Whyte and Andrew David Irvine, “Searching for Democratic Vitality: An Analysis of Electoral Reform,” Policy Dialogue, no. 17 (Winter 2008), 3-4
  20. ↑ Neal Hall, “Little Sisters’ Appeals to Highest Court,” Vancouver Sun, 19 February 1999, A6
  21. ↑ Shawn Ohler, “Human Rights Tribunal Says Columnist’s Opinion Anti-Semitic,” National Post, 04 February 1999, A4
  22. ↑ Colin Freeze, “Protesters Cynical about an Apology,” Globe and Mail, 27 March 2002, A6
  23. ↑ Mark Hume, “Teacher’s Suspension Sparks Free Speech Fight,” Calgary Herald, 24 April 2003, A3
  24. ↑ Barbara Kay, “Propaganda in the Classroom” National Post, 15 December 2004, A17
  25. ↑ Jason Unrau, “Professor Queries Speaker’s Ruling,” Whitehorse Star, 12 December 2008
  26. ↑ Neil Seeman, “Who Runs Canada?” National Post, 24 July 1999, B3
  27. ↑ Anon., “Stage Listings,” Vancouver Sun, 29 May 2008, http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastlife/story.html?id=56963701-382d-41cc-b75c-53fb57678d7d
  28. ↑ Alapin, Maya, Review of Socrates on Trial, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2008.08.08
  29. ↑ Anon., “Socrates on Trial,” Riveting Riffs Magazine, 2008, http://www.rivetingriffs.com/Socrates%20On%20Trial.html
  30. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Select Primary Bibliography,” in Andrew David Irvine (ed.), Bertrand Russell: Life, Work and Influence, London: Routledge, 1999, 217-46
  31. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Select Secondary Bibliography,” in Andrew David Irvine (ed.), Bertrand Russell: Life, Work and Influence, London: Routledge, 1999, 247-312
  32. ↑ Dawn Ogden and Andrew David Irvine, “A Bibliographical Index for Bertrand Russell’s History of Western Philosophy,” Russell, vol. 19 (1999), no. 1, 63-83
  33. ↑ Andrew David Irvine, “Bibliographic Errata regarding the Cumulative List of Winners of the Governor General’s Literary Awards / Liste cumulative des lauréates et des lauréats des Prix littéraires du Gouverneur général, 2011,” Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, 50 (2012), 51-61; Andrew David Irvine, “The Governor General’s Literary Awards: An Introduction,” Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, 52 (2014), 7-33; Andrew David Irvine, “The Governor General’s Literary Awards: English-language Winners, 1936-2013,” Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, 52 (2014), 35-161; and Andrew David Irvine and Edmond Rivère, “Prix littéraires du Gouverneur général: Lauréats en langue française, 1936-2013,” Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, 52 (2014), 163-267
  34. ↑ Lou Tafler, Fair New World, second edition, Denver: Argo Navis, 2014, xiii-xxiii

External links

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