David Lyons (philosopher)

David Lyons
Born	(1935-02-06) February 6, 1935
Education
Education	Brooklyn College Harvard University
Philosophical work
Era	Contemporary philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
Institutions	Cornell University Boston University
Main interests	Philosophy of law, moral philosophy, political philosophy

David Lyons (born February 6, 1935) is an American moral, political and legal philosopher who is emeritus professor of philosophy and of law at Boston University after having spent much of his career at Cornell University where he held joint appointment in the College and Arts and Sciences and School of Law.

Education and career

Lyons earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University, where he studied under John Rawls.

Lyons was one of the faculty members in the Susan Linn Sage School of Philosophy within the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, joining it in 1964. Later he obtained a joint appointment with Cornell University School of Law. He also had a stint as chair of the Susan Linn Sage School (operationally the chair of the philosophy department). He taught at Cornell until 1995, when he joined the Boston University faculty. His former students include David O. Brink.

Philosophical work

Lyons has had a lengthy career as a moral and legal philosopher, including such topics as the nature of rights and how they relate to concepts of the general welfare. He is particularly well known for his interpretation of the philosophy of John Stuart Mill, arguing that Mill's utilitarianism is compatible with recognizing the importance of rights.

In 2010, Lyons was honored by the Boston University School of Law with a two-day event, "Rights, Equality, and Justice: A Conference Inspired by the Moral and Legal Theory of David Lyons". The resulting papers from the conference were published in the Boston University Law Review.

Books

• Moral Aspects of Legal Theory : Essays on Law, Justice and Political Responsibility. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1999.
  • Translated into Spanish as Aspectos morales de la teoria juridica : ensayos sobre la ley, la justicia y la responsabilidad política
• Mill's Utilitarianism : Critical Essays (editor) Lanham (Md.) : Rowman & Littlefield, 1997.
• Rights, Welfare, and Mill's Moral Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
• Ethics and the Rule of Law. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Held in over 1000 worldCat libraries.
  • Translated into Polish as Etyka i rządy prawa
• Rights. (editor) The Wadsworth series in social philosophy. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub. Co, 1979.
  • Translated into Spanish as Ética y derecho
• In the Interest of the Governed; A Study in Bentham's philosophy of utility and law. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1973.
• Forms and Limits of Utilitarianism. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965.

External links

• Page at Boston University Arts & Sciences
• Page at Boston University School of Law
• Page at Cornell University Arts & Sciences
• Page at Cornell University School of Law