Martha Nussbaum

Martha Nussbaum (born May 6, 1947) is an American philosopher and the current Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she is jointly appointed in the Law School and the Philosophy department. She has a particular interest in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, political philosophy, feminism, and ethics, including animal rights. She also holds associate appointments in classics, divinity and political science, is a member of the Committee on Southern Asian Studies, and a board member of the Human Rights Program.

Early life and education

Nussbaum was born in New York City, the daughter of George Craven, a Philadelphia lawyer, and Betty Warren, an interior designer and homemaker; she was raised in Philadelphia and there received her BA from New York University and her MA and PhD from Harvard University. She studied for her doctorate at Harvard, where she was a student of John Rawls. She taught at Harvard in the early 1970s and at the University of Chicago since 1995.

Career

Nussbaum has been a member of the faculty at the University of Chicago since 1995, where she is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics. Prior to joining the University of Chicago faculty, she was a University Professor at Brown University. She has received honorary degrees from over 50 colleges and universities in the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. She has also been a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School, a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and a Research Advisor at the World Institute for Development Economics Research.

Philosophical work

Nussbaum's work primarily focuses on issues of social justice, including the distribution of resources, rights, and opportunities. She is best known for her work on the capabilities approach to social justice, which emphasizes the importance of each individual's ability to function in society and their access to opportunities. She has also written extensively on the role of emotions in moral and political judgment, and the importance of the humanities in public life.

Awards and recognition

Nussbaum has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy, the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences, and the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Member of the American Philosophical Society.

Personal life

Nussbaum is married to Cass Sunstein, a prominent legal scholar and former administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. They have one daughter, Rachel.

See also

• List of American philosophers
• List of feminist philosophers
• List of University of Chicago Law School faculty