Category: News

Robert Stern: Commemorating his Life, Work and Legacy. October 24, Leuven Seminar in Classical German Philosophy and Hegel Society of Great Britain (online)

Commemorating the Life, Work and Legacy of Robert Stern (1962-2024)

October 24, 5.00-7.00 pm CEST / 4.00-6.00 pm BST (Zoom)

Organized by the Leuven Seminar in Classical German Philosophy and the Hegel Society of Great Britain.

Bob Stern was well known and respected around the world for his groundbreaking work on Hegel, Kant, Løgstrup, Peirce and others. He also earned the deep affection of colleagues and students for his great enthusiasm and good humour in philosophical debate and his unfailing kindness and generosity towards others. At this event we welcome Bob’s friends, colleagues, students, and readers to share their thoughts on what his work and life has meant to them and how it continues to do so. After short presentations by five scholars who knew him well the floor will be open for questions and contributions from the other participants.

Speakers:

Stephen Houlgate (University of Warwick)

Ulrich Schlösser (University of Tübingen)

Leonard Weiss (King’s College London)

Alison Stone (Lancaster University)

Josh Forstenzer (Sheffield University)

Moderator: Karin de Boer (KU Leuven)

Please register through the website in order to receive the Zoom link. Events are recorded and made available on the YouTube platform of the research group.

Website: https://hiw.kuleuven.be/cmprpc/events/leuvenseminarinclassicalgermanphilosophy

Email: classicalgermanphilosophy@kuleuven.be

Organizers: Karin de Boer, Luis Fellipe Garcia, Manuel Tangorra, and Pierpaolo Betti (LS) and Stephen Houlgate (HSGB)

It is with great sadness that we report the death of our dear friend and colleague Bob Stern on 21 August 2024.

Bob was well known and respected around the world for his groundbreaking work on Hegel, Kant, Løgstrup, Peirce and others. He also earned the deep affection of colleagues and students for his great enthusiasm and good humour in philosophical debate and his unfailing kindness and generosity towards others.

Bob’s contribution to Hegel studies was considerable and wide-ranging, covering Hegel’s phenomenology and metaphysics, as well as his moral and political philosophy. Bob published numerous important essays (partly or wholly) on Hegel, as well as the following highly influential books: Hegel, Kant and the Structure of the Object (1990), The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Hegel and the Phenomenology of Spirit (2002), Hegelian Metaphysics (2009), and Understanding Moral Obligation: Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard (2012). In recent years he turned his attention to Hegel’s relation to Luther, and in 2023 he published the excellent essay “‘This is the Very Essence of the Reformation: Man in His Very Nature is Destined to be Free’. Hegel, Luther and Freedom” (Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. Critical Perspectives on Freedom and History, ed. D. Moyar, K. Padgett Walsh and S. Rand [Routledge], 45-65).

Members of the Hegel Society of Great Britain (HSGB) owe Bob a special debt, as he was a leading figure in the Society for many years. He edited the Bulletin of the Hegel Society of Great Britain (now Hegel Bulletin) from 1991 to 1997, and he was President of the HSGB from 2004 to 2011. He co-organized numerous conferences for the HSGB and helped promote the work of a great many young scholars and students. Indeed, he provided practical support and inspiration for more people than he could ever imagine.

Bob was an outstanding and influential philosopher, and he was tireless in his work on behalf of the profession. Beyond his service to the HSGB he served as head of department at the University of Sheffield, editor of the European Journal of Philosophy, President of the British Philosophical Association, President of the Aristotelian Society and Chair of the Philosophy section in the last REF (2021). Most importantly, Bob was a wonderful human being, a loyal friend and teacher, and a loving husband to Crosby and father to Adam and Lucy. He will be greatly missed.

Stephen Houlgate

President, Hegel Society of Great Britain