Jeffrey Foss (1948-2022)
The Philosophy Department is very sad to report the passing of our colleague Professor Jeffrey Foss (May 7, 1948 – March 26, 2022) after a recent diagnosis of cancer. Jeff, who joined the Department as an Assistant Professor in 1984 and retired in 2014, was a much-loved member of the University community. He contributed a great deal to the Philosophy Department as a skilled researcher, wonderful teacher, dedicated administrator, and all-round excellent colleague. Jeff’s areas of expertise were in philosophy of mind and philosophy of science but he also had interests in environmental politics. He is the author of the books Science and the Riddle of Consciousness: A Solution (2000) and Beyond Environmentalism: A Philosophy of Nature (2009) and many articles and chapters. He served as Chair of Philosophy from 1991-1994 and as Acting Chair on two occasions (2005-6 and 2011-12). Jeff was also an enthusiastic musician and prolific songwriter. Many of his songs referenced philosophical themes in a clever and playful fashion that seemed to epitomize his both his serious engagement with philosophy and his quirky but infectious sense of humour. At Department social events, he would lead us in song and good cheer.