Simon Keller
{{Short description|New Zealand philosopher}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox academic
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| name = Simon Keller
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| image = Simon Keller photo (cropped).jpg
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| birth_date = 1973
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| alma_mater = Princeton University
| thesis_title = On Welfare
| thesis_url = https://philpapers.org/rec/KELOW
| thesis_year = 2002
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| discipline = Philosopher
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| workplaces = Boston University
University of Melbourne
Victoria University of Wellington
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| main_interests = Ethics and the philosophy of mental health
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Simon Tait Keller (born 1973){{Cite web |title=Original works by Simon Keller |url=https://natbib-lod.org/simon-keller-a581681314701309/original-works-by |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=The British National Bibliography |language=en |archive-date=27 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827213558/https://natbib-lod.org/simon-keller-a581681314701309/original-works-by |url-status=live }} is a philosophy academic, and a full professor at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.{{Cite web |title=Professor Simon Keller |url=https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/simon.keller |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=Victoria University of Wellington}} As at 2023, he is head of the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations.{{Cite web |date=16 March 2023 |title=Researchers and scholars at the top of their fields elected as Ngā Ahurei Fellows |url=https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/researchers-and-scholars-elected-as-nga-ahurei-fellows/ |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=Royal Society Te Apārangi |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328234052/https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/researchers-and-scholars-elected-as-nga-ahurei-fellows/ |url-status=live }} His work focusses on political philosophy, ethics and the philosophy of mental health. He has published works on topics including family relationships, friendships, the moral and political dimensions of relationships, patriotism and the possibility of time travel.
In 2023, Keller was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Career
Keller completed under-graduate studies at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, gaining a B.A. and B.Sc.{{Cite web |title=Simon Keller |url=https://ethics.harvard.edu/people/simon-keller |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Harvard University - Edmond & Lliy Safra Center for Ethics |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828034717/https://ethics.harvard.edu/people/simon-keller |url-status=live }}
He subsequently studied at Princeton University and received a PhD in Philosophy in 2002.{{Cite web |title=Prof. Simon Keller, Ph.D. |url=https://www.en.cas.uni-muenchen.de/fellowship_program/previous_vf/humanities/keller_simon/index.html |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=Center for Advanced Studies LMU Munich |language=en |archive-date=13 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713214344/https://www.en.cas.uni-muenchen.de/fellowship_program/previous_vf/humanities/keller_simon/index.html |url-status=live }} Keller held teaching positions at Boston University and the University of Melbourne, and was a visiting professor at Rice University. In 2009, he was appointed as associate professor of philosophy at Victoria University of Wellington, and became a full professor in 2014. As at 2023, he is head of the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations.
Keller has appeared on the New Zealand national radio network RNZ on multiple occasions, covering topics including: the philosophy of vegetarianism,{{Cite web |date=15 August 2010 |title=Ethical Vegetarianism |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ideas/audio/2377358/ideas-for-15-august-2010-ethical-vegetarianism |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |archive-date=27 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827230849/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ideas/audio/2377358/ideas-for-15-august-2010-ethical-vegetarianism |url-status=live }} the ethical issues raised by the publication of the book Dirty Politics by Nicky Hager,{{Cite web |date=17 August 2014 |title=Dirty Politics: an ethical minefield |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20145974/dirty-politics-an-ethical-minefield |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |archive-date=27 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827230849/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20145974/dirty-politics-an-ethical-minefield |url-status=live }} political rebellion and revolution{{Cite web |date=22 December 2016 |title=Great Ideas - Part 1: 'Rebellion and Revolution' |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/great-ideas/story/201828683/great-ideas-part-1-%27rebellion-and-revolution%27 |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |archive-date=27 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827230859/https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/great-ideas/story/201828683/great-ideas-part-1-%27rebellion-and-revolution%27 |url-status=live }} and the philosophy of mental health.{{Cite web |date=7 July 2018 |title=Philosopher questions modern definition of mental health |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018652608/simon-keller-philosopher-assesses-claims-about-mental-health |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |archive-date=27 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827230848/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018652608/simon-keller-philosopher-assesses-claims-about-mental-health |url-status=live }}
In 2015, Keller presented a talk on Patriotism in peace and war, as part of a series on conflict jointly organised by Victoria University of Wellington and the National Library of New Zealand.{{Cite web |last=Keller |first=Simon |date=6 July 2015 |title=Patriotism in peace and war |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/patriotism-in-peace-and-war |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=National Library of New Zealand}}
In 2017, Keller wrote an opinion piece The dangerous ideal of mental health for a national news service. He argued that the modern concept of a healthy mind as a positive construction, and something to strive towards, should be treated with suspicion because of the lack of clarity about what good mental health looks like.{{Cite web |last=Keller |first=Simon |date=19 January 2017 |title=The dangerous ideal of mental health |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/88591331/the-dangerous-ideal-of-mental-health |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828004818/https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/88591331/the-dangerous-ideal-of-mental-health |url-status=live }} Reactions included disagreement from the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation, who argued that mental health should not be seen only as a negative concept, and that treating it that way leads to stigma and barriers.{{Cite web |last=Mental Health Foundation |first= |date=3 February 2017 |title=Positive mental health is not a 'dangerous' ideal |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/88984180/positive-mental-health-is-not-a-dangerous-ideal |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828004816/https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/88984180/positive-mental-health-is-not-a-dangerous-ideal |url-status=live }}
Keller was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Studies at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich from November 2017 to January 2018 and again in October 2019.
In 2022, Keller presented a talk at one of the new fellows seminars given by Royal Society Te Apārangi, entitled Mental health as an ethical concept.{{Cite web |last=Keller |first=Simon |title=Mental health as an ethical concept |url=https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/who-we-are/our-people/our-fellows/new-fellow-seminars/2022-new-fellows-seminars/simon-keller-frsnz/ |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Royal Society Te Apārangi |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828203522/https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/who-we-are/our-people/our-fellows/new-fellow-seminars/2022-new-fellows-seminars/simon-keller-frsnz/ |url-status=live }}
Selected publications
{{Scholia}}
- {{cite book|last=Keller|first=Simon|year=2009|title=The Limits of Loyalty|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-51148759-0}}
- {{cite book|last=Keller|first=Simon|year=2013|title=Partiality|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-69115473-2}}
- {{cite book|last1=Kleinig|first1=John|last2=Keller|first2=Simon|last3=Primoratz|first3=Igor|year=2015|title=The Ethics of Patriotism: A Debate|publisher= Wiley Blackwell|isbn=978-0-470-65885-7}}
- {{cite journal |last=Keller |first=Simon |year=2018 |title=Fiduciary Duties and Moral Blackmail |journal=Journal of Applied Philosophy |volume=35 |number=3}}{{cite journal |last=Keller |first=Simon |year=2018 |title=Fiduciary Duties and Moral Blackmail |journal=Journal of Applied Philosophy |volume=35 |number=3|doi=10.1111/japp.12234}}
- Keller, Simon (2022). "Mental Health in Old Age". In C.S. Wareham (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Ethics of Ageing (pp. 79–91). Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-1-10881704-2}}.
Honours and awards
In 2009, Keller's book The Limits of Loyalty was the winner of the American Philosophical Association Book Prize.{{Cite web |title=Book Prize |url=https://www.apaonline.org/page/book |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=The American Philosophical Association |language=en |archive-date=27 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827221649/https://www.apaonline.org/page/book |url-status=live }}
In 2018, his paper Fiduciary Duties and Moral Blackmail won the Journal of Applied Philosophy Essay Prize.{{Cite web |last=Weinberg |first=Justin |date=2019-05-01 |title=Keller Wins Journal of Applied Philosophy Prize |url=https://dailynous.com/2019/05/01/keller-wins-journal-applied-philosophy-prize/,%20https://dailynous.com/2019/05/01/keller-wins-journal-applied-philosophy-prize/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=Daily Nous |language=en-US}}
In 2023, Keller was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.{{Cite web |last=Weinberg |first=Justin |date=17 March 2023 |title=Keller Elected to Royal Society Te Apārangi (New Zealand) |url=https://dailynous.com/2023/03/17/keller-elected-to-royal-society-te-aparangi-new-zealand/,%20https://dailynous.com/2023/03/17/keller-elected-to-royal-society-te-aparangi-new-zealand/ |access-date=27 August 2023 |website=Daily Nous |language=en-US}}
Personal life
Keller is an athlete, and competes in distance running events. He competes as an individual in regional and national events, and in team events for the club Wellington Scottish Athletics.{{Cite web |last=Hyslop |first=Liam |date=2 October 2015 |title=Wellington Scottish men chase New Zealand Road Relay glory |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/72642079/wellington-scottish-men-chase-new-zealand-road-relay-glory |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828035557/https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/72642079/wellington-scottish-men-chase-new-zealand-road-relay-glory |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Adamson |first=Alan |date=29 July 2021 |title=Athletes impress selectors with record-setting performances |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/300368079/athletes-impress-selectors-with-recordsetting-performances |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828035556/https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/300368079/athletes-impress-selectors-with-recordsetting-performances |url-status=live }} He is also a regular author of items about running published on the club website.{{Cite web |title=Simon Keller |url=https://scottishathletics.org.nz/tag/simon-keller/ |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Wellington Scottish Athletics Club |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828035556/https://scottishathletics.org.nz/tag/simon-keller/ |url-status=live }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.simonkeller.co.nz/ Official website]
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Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Category:New Zealand philosophers
Category:Academic staff of Victoria University of Wellington
Category:Princeton University alumni