September 04, 2003

Kathy Wilkes dies

Posted by Chris

Oxford philosopher Kathy Wilkes, probably best known for her book Physicalism has died. The London Times has has a obituary. (I’ve now started to add Donald Davison obituaries to this post).

Posted on September 4, 2003 08:00 AM UTC
Comments

That’s very sad to hear.

KW gave a bunch of lectures on Mill in my first year at Oxford. Unusually for me (I’m just no good at mornings), I went to most of them, since she was funny and a bit eccentric and made the dry text of ‘Utilitarianism’ come alive.

Later, she interviewed me for a job at St Hilda’s, which I didn’t get. I had to give a ten-minute spiel on personal identity, and KW soon tied me up in knots, but she did it in a rather kindly way which is pretty unfamiliar in Oxford. I can imagine she was amazing in tutorials, particularly with less assertive students.

Posted by Tom Runnacles · September 4, 2003 07:11 PM

I can’t believe she has gone.
Philosophy was just a millionth of her; she was the kindest truest bravest person in lonely old oxford academia, and fun too

Posted by Jenny Carter · November 3, 2003 04:15 PM

Kathy Wilkes was a remarkably gifted person: brave, brilliant, fearless in her struggle to bring the liberating power of philosophical discussion to totalitarian societies. As a refugee from one such society who greatly admired her books, while disagreeing with many of her conclusions, I am deeply saddened and forlorn at her loss. She embodied the Socratic spirit as well as anyone in our time.

Posted by Juan Galis-Menendez · January 12, 2004 03:47 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.