Bob Fischer is an American philosopher who specializes in epistemology (especially modal epistemology) and ethics (especially animal ethics). He is a Professor of Philosophy at Texas State University and a Senior Research Manager at Rethink Priorities. His books include Modal Justification via Theories (in which he defends his account of "Theory-Based Epistemology of Modality"), The Ethics of Eating Animals, and Weighing Animal Welfare.
Bob Fischer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert William Fischer |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Professor |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | United States |
| Institutions | Texas State University |
| Thesis | Modal Knowledge, in Theory (2011) |
| Doctoral advisor | W. D. Hart |
Main interests | Epistemology; ethics |
Notable ideas | Theory-Based Epistemology of Modality |
| Website | www |
Education and career
editFischer earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and English at State University of New York at Geneseo from 2001 to 2004.[1] He received a PhD in philosophy at the University of Illinois Chicago.[1] He submitted his doctoral thesis, which was entitled Modal Knowledge, in Theory, in 2011. His advisor (and thesis committee chair) was W. D. Hart; the other committee members were Colin Klein, Walter Edelberg, Daniel Sutherland, and Karen Bennett.[2]
From Illinois, he moved to Texas State University, first (2011–2013) as a Senior Lecturer, and subsequently as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy (2013–19), an Associate Professor of Philosophy (2019–2024),[1] and Professor of Philosophy (2024-present).[citation needed] Fischer is a Senior Research Manager at Rethink Priorities[3] and, along with Mark Budolfson and Lisa Kramer, a director of the Animal Welfare Economics Working Group.[4]
Research
editFischer's first sole-authored monograph was Modal Justification via Theories,[5] in which he defends a "Theory-Based Epistemology of Modality". According to this account, agents can have a justified belief in modal claims about certain kinds of "extraordinary" matters (e.g., philosophical issues) only if the claim follows from a theory in which they have a justified belief. Key to Fischer's account is that abductive reasoning (such as appeals to the virtue of simplicity) is well-placed to help agents to identify the theories that they are justified in believing.[6] The epistemologists Antonella Mallozzi, Anand Vaidya, and Michael Wallner give the example of mind-body dualism. On Fischer's Theory-Based Epistemology of Modality, "we are justified in believing that mind-body dualism is metaphysically possible only if we are justified in believing a theory T from which mind-body dualism follows", but if T "is not the simplest theory, all else being equal, then one would not be justified in believing it, and thus not be justified in believing that mind-body dualism is metaphysically possible".[6]
In 2024, Fischer published Weighing Animal Welfare, which collects the research that he and his team did from 2021-2023 on interspecies welfare comparisons. Interspecies welfare comparisons involve estimating the relative well-being levels of members of different species. For instance, if someone judges that a chicken in a battery cage is worse off than a human living a normal life, that person is making an interspecies welfare comparison. The book shows how it may be possible to make such comparisons by finding a mix of behavioral and physiological proxies for possible differences in the intensities of valenced experiences (like pleasure and pain). It then reports the results of applying that methodology.[citation needed]
Selected publications
edit- Monographs
- Fischer, Bob (2017). Modal Justification via Theories. Springer.
- Fischer, Bob (2020). The Ethics of Eating Animals: Usually Bad, Sometimes Wrong, Often Permissible. Routledge.[7][8]
- Debate books
- Jauernig, Anja, and Bob Fischer (2024). What Do We Owe Other Animals? A Debate. Routledge.
- Textbooks
- Fischer, Bob (2021). Animal Ethics: A Contemporary Introduction. Routledge.[9]
- Palmer, Clare, Bob Fischer, Christian Gamborg, Jordan Hampton, and Peter Sandøe (2023). Wildlife Ethics: The Ethics of Wildlife Management and Conservation. Wiley.
- Edited books
- Bramble, Ben, and Bob Fischer (eds.) (2015). The Moral Complexities of Eating Meat. Oxford University Press.[10]
- Fischer, Bob, and Felipe Leon (eds.) (2017). Modal Epistemology After Rationalism. Springer.
- Fischer, Bob (ed.) (2017). College Ethics: A Reader on Moral Issues That Affect You. Oxford University Press.[11]
- Second edition published 2020.
- Fischer, Bob (ed.) (2020). The Routledge Handbook of Animal Ethics. Routledge.[12]
- Fischer, Bob (ed.) (2020). Ethics, Left and Right: The Moral Issues That Divide Us. Oxford University Press.
- Weston, Anthony, and Bob Fischer (eds.) (2023). A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
- Fischer, Bob (ed.) (2024). Weighing Animal Welfare: Comparing Well-being Across Species. Oxford University Press.
References
edit- ^ a b c Fischer, Bob (2021). "Bob Fischer's CV". Texas State University. Archived from the original on 2023-06-17. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Fischer, Robert William (2011). Modal Knowledge, in Theory (Thesis). University of Chicago at Illinois.
- ^ "Rethink Priorities' Worldview Investigation Team: Introductions and Next Steps". Rethink Priorities. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ https://www.aw-econ.org/about
- ^ Reviews:
- Biggs, Stephen (2017). "Modal Justification via Theories". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. Retrieved 8 July 2023./
- ^ a b Mallozzi, Antonella; Vaidya, Anand; Wallner, Michael (7 July 2023). "The Epistemology of Modality". In Zalta, Edward N.; Nodelman, Uri (eds.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2023 ed.). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University.
- ^ Milburn, Josh (19 April 2021). "Knowing Animals 164: Is veganism morally required? With Bob Fischer". Knowing Animals (Podcast). Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Reviews:
- Bernstein, Justin; Anne Barnhill (2021). "Fischer, Bob. The Ethics of Eating Animals". Ethics. 131 (3): 605–10. doi:10.1086/712575.
- ^ Reviews:
- Bobier, Christopher (2023). "Review of Animal Ethics: A Contemporary Introduction". Between the Species. 26 (1): 167–172.
- Kegley, Jacquelyn Ann (2022). "Animal Ethics: A Contemporary Introduction, by Bob Fischer". Teaching Philosophy. 45 (1): 112–115. doi:10.5840/teachphil20224513.
- ^ Reviews:
- Bernstein, Mark (2017). "Review: The Moral Complexities of Eating Meat". Journal of Animal Ethics. 7 (2): 198–203. doi:10.5406/janimalethics.7.2.0198.
- Doggett, Tyler (2016). "The Moral Complexities of Eating Meat". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- Lamey, Andy (2017). "Review of The Moral Complexities of Eating Meat". Between the Species. 20 (1): 133–146.
- Fadeeva, Yuliya (2016). "Ben Bramble, Bob Fischer (Eds.) The Moral Complexities of Eating Meat". Ethical Theory and Moral Practice. 19 (5): 1333–1335. doi:10.1007/s10677-016-9714-9.
- ^ Reviews:
- Nobis, Nathan (2017). "Bob Fischer, ed. College Ethics: A Reader on Moral Issues that Affect You". Teaching Ethics. 17 (2): 259–262. doi:10.5840/tej201717250.
- ^ Reviews:
- Sansò, Gloria (2019). "The Routledge Handbook of Animal Ethics". Metapsychology Online Reviews. 25 (2). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- Cao, Xinyi (2022). "Bob Fischer, ed. The routledge handbook of animal ethics. New York: Routledge, 2020". Frontiers of Narrative Studies. 7 (2): 239–243. doi:10.1515/fns-2021-0014.