Lawrence C. Becker (April 26, 1939 – November 22, 2018) was an

American philosopher American philosophy is the activity, corpus, and tradition of philosophers affiliated with the United States. The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' notes that while it lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can neverthe ...

working mainly in the areas of

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

and

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

, and

legal philosophy Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

Work

Becker is the author of books and journal articles on

justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

Stoicism Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, ''i.e.'' by a God which is immersed in nature itself. Of all the schools of ancient ...

and Modern Stoicism, reciprocity,

property rights The right to property, or the right to own property (cf. ownership), is often classified as a human right for natural persons regarding their Possession (law), possessions. A general recognition of a right to private property is found more rarely ...

, and

metaethics In metaphilosophy and ethics, metaethics is the study of the nature, scope, ground, and meaning of moral judgment, ethical belief, or values. It is one of the three branches of ethics generally studied by philosophers, the others being normativ ...

. He was an associate editor of the journal ''Ethics'' from 1985–2000, and the editor, with the librarian Charlotte B. Becker, of two editions of the ''

Encyclopedia of Ethics The ''Encyclopedia of Ethics'' is a scholarly work with the original focus on ethical theory. It is published by Routledge and includes "biographical articles, entries on areas and issues related to ethics, treatment of major traditions in religio ...

''. Becker is a Fellow of

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

, where he taught philosophy from 1965–1989, and is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus from the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

, where he was the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor in the Humanities and Philosophy from 1989–2001. From 2000–2011 he was on the volunteer Board of Directors of Post-Polio Health International, and served as its President and Chair from 2006–2009.

Books authored

*''Habilitation, Health, and Agency: a Framework for Basic Justice''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. E-book, 2013. *''A New Stoicism''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. ** Paperback issued by Princeton University Press, 1999. ** E-book, 2010. ** Revised Edition, 2017. *''Reciprocity''. London and New York: Routledge, 1986. Pbk issued by the University of Chicago Press, 1990. Reissued by Routledge in hbk and e-book, 2014. *''Property Rights: Philosophic Foundations''. London and New York, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1977. Pbk, 1980. Reissued by Routledge in hbk and e-book, 2014. *''On Justifying Moral Judgments''. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1973. Reissued by Routledge in hbk and e-book, 2014.

Books edited with Charlotte B. Becker

*''Encyclopedia of Ethics''. Second edition in three volumes. New York: Routledge, 2001. (First Edition in 2 volumes: New York: Garland Publishing, 1992.) *''A History of Western Ethics''. Second Edition, revised with expanded index and glossary. New York: Routledge, 2003. (First Edition, New York: Garland Publishing, 1992).

Book edited with Kenneth Kipnis

*''Property: Cases, Concepts, and Critiques''. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1984.

General editor for book series

*''Ethical Investigations: A Routledge Series of Article Collections''. New York: Routledge, 2003. Two collections (6 vols. each) of classic journal articles. Carl Wellman, ed., ''Rights and Duties''; Peter Vallentyne, ed., ''Equality and Justice''.

References

External links

Bio blurb and CV

Message on the passing of Lawrence C. Becker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Lawrence C. 1939 births 20th-century American philosophers 21st-century American philosophers 21st-century American male writers American ethicists American political philosophers Philosophers from Virginia 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers 2018 deaths