Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

News and views about philosophy, the academic profession, academic freedom, intellectual culture, and other topics. The world’s most popular philosophy blog, since 2003.

  1. LFC's avatar
  2. Rob's avatar
  3. Dan Schwarcz's avatar
  4. Milan Markovic's avatar
  5. Andrew Mamo's avatar
  6. Stefan Sciaraffa's avatar

    Please see this link for the final version of the McMaster Philosophy Department’s notice for Barry Allen. There is some…

  7. Patrick S. O'Donnell's avatar

In Memoriam: Jennifer A. McMahon (1956-2023) (UPDATED)

Brian Leiter

MOVING TO FRONT FROM JUNE 20–UPDATED AND CORRECTED

Best-known for her work in aesthetics and on Kant, Professor McMahon was emerita at the University of Adelaide, where she spent her academic career.   Comments are open for remembrances from colleagues who knew Professor McMahon, or for those who wish to comment on the significance of her work.  Please feel free to add links as well to memorial notices and obituaries.

(Thanks to Mohan Matthen for the information.)

UPDATE:  My thanks to Dr. Brendan Ryan for permission to share this obituary:  Download Jenny's obituary in The Age (advertising removed)

ANOTHER:  The ASA Newsletter for summer 2023 has several memorial essays for Professor McMahon, from Cynthia Freeland, Paul Guyer, Mohan Matthen, and others.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 responses to “In Memoriam: Jennifer A. McMahon (1956-2023) (UPDATED)”

  1. John Rapko

    Jenny sent me a message in late March saying that she'd been quite ill with what she thought was long Covid. We made an e-date to discuss the work of the choreographer Crystal Pite, and I'd been waiting to hear from her. In her major academic work she tried as it were to turn Kant into Pierce, especially through teasing out pragmatist implications of the 3rd Critique's account of sensus communis. She also made a sustained effort to bring a philosophical dimension into the study of contemporary art, in particular through her engagement with the Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Elliason. I only knew her a little bit, but she seemed the gentlest soul and sweetest-tempered person I'd every met in academia.

    Reply
  2. Mohan Matthen

    Jenny was an erudite, astute, and important philosopher of art. To me, though nearly fifteen years her senior both in age and in the profession, she was a teacher and mentor. She decided at some point (around ten years ago, I think) to co-opt me into aesthetics–she thought my work in perception would be useful there. So, she invited me to comment on her book at the ASA, introduced me to people in the field, and made me into a co-investigator in her important grant from the Australian Research Council. I participated eagerly, and she made it into a joyous experience. Five years ago, her cancer from the early 00s (I think–I'm not sure of the dates) reappeared. She endured the various therapies with hope and stoicism, never inviting anything like concern, or even sympathy, but accepting it with grace and good-fellowship when it was offered by a friend (like me, I hope). The last time I heard from her, in November '22, she told me her health was "holding up." Evidently, that state of affairs didn't last. I'll miss her . . . a lot.

    —–
    KEYWORDS:
    Primary Blog

    Reply

Designed with WordPress