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In Memoriam: Kathleen Okruhlik (1951-2024)

Brian Leiter

A longtime member of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario (now known as "Western University"), Professr Okruhlik wrote widely in the history and philosophy of science and in feminist philosophy, including their intersections.  Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Okruhlik or for those who wish to comment on the significance of her work.

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8 responses to “In Memoriam: Kathleen Okruhlik (1951-2024)”

  1. Mohan Matthen

    I feel shy to be one of the first to say something about Kathleen, because I feel that so many others know her better, were closer to her, and are utterly devastated by her passing. But I would like to record how, even to somebody like me who is relatively ignorant of her milieu, Kathleen was an important figure in the Canadian, American, and European philosophy of science communities.

    When we read her critiques of male bias in biology, going back to the early 1990s, we are reminded that the attack on "androcentrism" came, in those days, from many directions. Thus, Kathleen's influential paper, "Gender and the Biological Sciences," published in the Canadian Journal of Philosophy in 1994, details and criticizes gender-theory from the perspective of a Quine-Duhem conception of science. That might sound a bit tame, or even quaint, these days, but she writes: "Although the distinction between 'sex' as biological and 'gender' as socially assigned has in many respects served feminist theorizing well, it has led to the mistaken assumption that all biological attributes are given in some absolute sense. Sex as well as gender is socially constructed, at least in part." One may disagree with the thesis, but one must recognize that Kathleen argued in its support from immaculately "analytic" starting points.

    Kathleen was an important influence for civility in the Canadian philosophical community. I remember once when she reproved me after a question I asked at a paper: "That was her whole point," she said of the thesis I had questioned. And that taught me that you don't go after somebody's "whole point." I think that this spirit didn't inform philosophical discussion as much as it ought to have. It sounds a bit counter-intuitive, but if you live up to it, the world of academic philosophy would be a better place.

    Deepest sympathy to my colleague, Jim Brown, Kathleen's husband. What a terrible loss.

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  2. Bill Vanderburgh

    Kathleen Okruhlik was a gem of a person. She was a major influence on me as an undergrad at Western, when I had her for three or four classes (including early modern and philosophy of science, which eventually became my two main research areas). She was chair of the department by the time I was a senior, and her encouragement was a prime reason I went to grad school. She became dean while I was in grad school at Western, so she was a bit less of a presence in the department, though she still taught occasionally and still supervised dissertations–including mine. The department, college, and her students all thrived under her stewardship. She had an amazing ability to be kind and warm while still being absolutely rigorous and firm, supportive while suffering no fools. And I never knew anyone who had longer hair or drank more Diet Coke. 🙂 My thoughts are with Jim, their children, and my friends from Western who are as devastated as I am by this loss.

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  3. Michael and Lizzie Ruse

    Kathleen was my student when first she came to Canada — jim was also a student — an undergrad who has never forgiven me for giving him 79, where 80 (as is standard in Canada) is an A –(Kathleen was a straight A — the only time i ever gave someone 100% because she answered all of the logic questions correctly)

    the real reason why i mention Jim is that i cannot imagine Jim without Kathleen (like me, she could not stand it when people shortened her name) or Kathleen without Jim — two generous and loving people who knew that real happiness comes from loving those who really do not deserve to be loved — I know

    Kathleen has now crossed the rainbow bridge — she can now say to her God (real or apparent) "Lord, you gave me five talents, here they are returned and five more" (Jim will say "Lord you gave me 80 talents – here they are and 79 more")

    goodness, how my wife (Lizzie) and i loved jim and Kathleen — as did our yougest kid Edward who was their student

    with tears in my eyes

    michael

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  4. Cheryl Misak

    Mohan, you've brought Kathleen's voice to life for me with that anecdote. I will now be able to hear her in my head for the coming days. Thank you.

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  5. Andrew Reynolds

    This is very sad news. Kathleen was my doctoral supervisor –my 'Doktormutter' as she once said, and that was entirely apt, for in addition to being an absolutely rigourous and demanding analytic philosopher and thesis supervisor, she was warm, supportive and encouraging. I don't think I would have made it through the PhD program without her example and her guidance. My condolences to Jim, Stephen, Elizabeth, all her other students and colleagues. She made a great difference in many lives.

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  6. Dr. Karen L. F. Houle

    Kathleen Okruhlik was one of those people in Philosophy in Canada who served as a very important mentor-at-a-distance to me. (And many many others, I'm sure). I never worked directly under, or with her, but had many occasions to enjoy and appreciate her uncompromising political chops, her kind warm engaging personality and her devastatingly sharp mind (and writing). Her work on Neurath completely changed my thinking about Logical Positivism. Condolences to all the people who were close to her. This is a giant loss.

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  7. Brad Wray

    I was a student at UWO at roughly the same time as Bill V. and Andrew R., during the 1990s. Kathleen was the department chair for the whole time I was there. I doubt it was an easy task, as there were a number of big personalities to deal with amongst the faculty. Also, there were divisions forming. As graduate students, though, we were largely shielded from all this. I took Kathleen's course in Feminist Epistemology and Philosophy of Science. It was quite important for my thesis on the social epistemology of science, where I addressed the work of, among others, a number of important feminists scholars, like Helen Longino. In fact, Kathleen was on my thesis committee – not as an examiner – but as a reader. She made of point of keeping in touch while I was on the market, until I landed on my feet in a tenure track job. As others say, she was very supportive. Indeed, I think many students sought to work with her at that time precisely for that reason. As noted by Mohan, Kathleen was also a very important figure in the Canadian philosophical community. I wish Jim well in this difficult time.

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  8. Kent Peacock

    I would like to add my voice to those who mourn Kathleen's passing. I was at Western from 1991 to 1996, first as a postdoc and then with a term and various sessional appointments. Indeed, Kathleen unfailingly and miraculously found enough sessional appointments for me to keep my young family going while I taught and wrote and sent out endless job applications (finally landing at Lethbridge). Bill Vanderburgh put it very accurately above: "The department, college, and her students all thrived under her stewardship. She had an amazing ability to be kind and warm while still being absolutely rigorous and firm, supportive while suffering no fools." Kathleen really wanted her people to succeed, including the numerous grad students under her wing and one somewhat over-worked (but very privileged) postdoc. She will be deeply missed.

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