David Schmidtz

David Schmidtz
Born	1955
Alma mater	University of Saskatchewan University of Arizona
Website	www.davidschmidtz.com
Era	Contemporary philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Political philosophy
Main interests	Rational choice, game theory, political philosophy
Notable ideas	Justice as a map
Influences Vernon Smith, Robert Nozick, Jules Coleman
Influenced Jason Brennan

David Schmidtz (born 1955) is a Canadian-American philosopher who has appointments in the philosophy and economics departments and the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Arizona.^[1]

Education

Schmidtz grew up in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada.^[2] In 1983, he received his B.A. in philosophy from the University of Saskatchewan. He earned an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Arizona in 1985, and an M.A. in economics, also from the University of Arizona, in 1987. Schmidtz earned his PhD at the University of Arizona under the direction of Allen Buchanan. He also studied with Joel Feinberg and Keith Lehrer, Holly Martin Smith, Mark Isaac, and Vernon Smith.^[3]

Teaching career

In 1988, Schmidtz took a job as an assistant professor at Yale University. He was promoted to associate professor in 1991. He left Yale after six years, going on to teach three semesters at Bowling Green State University. Schmidtz joined the faculty of the University of Arizona in 1995. He was promoted to professor of philosophy and joint professor of economics in 1998.^[4]

Schmidtz taught first-year property as a visiting professor at Florida State University College of Law in 2007. In the 2014-15 academic year, he was a national Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar and John Stuart Mill Professor at Hamburg University. Schmidtz is the founding director of the Freedom Center at the University of Arizona.^[3]

Among his former doctoral students are Walter Glannon, Lainie Friedman Ross, Linda Radzik, Steve Scalet, Rhonda Smith, Matt Zwolinski, Cara Nine, Jason Brennan, Matt Bedke, Chris Brown, Chris Freiman, Daniel Silvermint, Keith Hankins, and John Thrasher.

Writing

Books

He is author of Elements of Justice,^[5] Rational Choice and Moral Agency,^[6] co-author of Social Welfare and Individual Responsibility (a “For & Against” book with Robert Goodin)^[7] and editor of a volume on Robert Nozick in the Cambridge University Press "Contemporary Philosophy in Focus" series.^[8] He also co-edited Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works (Oxford) with Elizabeth Willott; a second edition of this book appeared in 2012.^[9] His first book, The Limits of Government: An Essay on the Public Goods Argument,^[10] combined his interests in moral philosophy and economic analysis. Schmidtz has also written on rational choice theory and environmental ethics.

Journals

He has published articles in many journals, including the Journal of Philosophy, Ethics, and Political Theory along with reviews in journals such as Philosophical Review, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, and Mind. Over seventy of his articles have been (or are in the process of being) reprinted, including Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Turkish, Italian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hebrew, and German translations. Thirteen of his essays (one previously unpublished, on Peter Singer's approach to moral theory) were published by Oxford Press as Person, Polis, Planet in 2008. A Brief History of Liberty (Wiley-Blackwell), with co-author Jason Brennan appeared in 2010. He is now working on Markets In Education (Oxford) with Harry Brighouse.

Schmidtz is editor-in-chief of the Cambridge Press journal Social Philosophy and Policy.

Selected bibliography

Books

• Schmidtz, David (1991). The limits of government: an essay on the public goods argument. Boulder: Westview Press. ISBN 9780813308708.
• Schmidtz, David (1996). Rational choice and moral agency. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691029184.
• Schmidtz, David (1998). Social welfare and individual responsibility. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521564618.
• Schmidtz, David (2002). Robert Nozick. Cambridge, UK New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521782265.
• Schmidtz, David (2006). Elements of justice. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521539364.
• Schmidtz, David (2008). Person, Polis, Planet. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780521539364.
• Schmidtz, David; Brennan, Jason (2010). A brief history of liberty. Chichester, U.K. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781405170796.
• Schmidtz, David; Willott, Elizabeth (2012). Environmental ethics: what really matters, what really works. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199793518.
• Schmidtz, David; Scalet, Steven P (2009), "Famine, poverty, and property rights", in Morris, Christopher, Amartya Sen, Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 170–190, ISBN 9780521618069

See also

• Canadian philosophy
• List of Canadian philosophers
• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers

References

1. "David Schimdtz: Kendrick Professor of Philosophy and joint Professor of Economics". University of Arizona. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
2. Whetzel, Melissa (2013-03-18). "College Creates Awareness on Economic Topics with Adam Smith Week". College of Charleston. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
3. "David Schmidtz". University of Arizona. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
4. "History and Pattern". Institute for Applied and Professional Ethics. Ohio University. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
5. Schmidtz, David (2006). Elements of justice. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521539364.
6. Schmidtz, David (1996). Rational choice and moral agency. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691029184.
7. Schmidtz, David (1998). Social welfare and individual responsibility. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521564618.
8. Schmidtz, David (2002). Robert Nozick. Cambridge, UK New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521782265.
9. Schmidtz, David; Willott, Elizabeth (2012). Environmental ethics: what really matters, what really works. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199793518.
10. Schmidtz, David (1991). The limits of government: an essay on the public goods argument. Boulder: Westview Press. ISBN 9780813308708.

External links

• David Schmidtz's homepage
• Roberts, Russ (May 7, 2012). "Schmidtz on Rawls, Nozick, and Justice". EconTalk. Library of Economics and Liberty.
• David Schmidtz at Goodreads
• Works by or about David Schmidtz in libraries (WorldCat catalog)