Ted Honderich

Grote Professor Emeritus of the philosophy of mind and logic at UCL, known for his outspoken political views and pioneering work on consciousness.

Grote Professor Emeritus of the philosophy of mind and logic at UCL, Ted Honderich is known for his outspoken views on issues of terrorism, democracy, anarchy and the principles of humanity.

BIOGRAPHY

Honderich was born in 1933 in Canada and started his studies in Toronto, graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy and English Literate which got him accepted at UCL for a PhD in 1959. He worked his whole life as a lecturer and professor in Britain, first at university of Sussex, then UCL and also as a Visiting professor in Bath, New York & Yale.

Philosophy with attitude

Most of his life has been about confrontation and independence, from resisting a strict religious upbringing to supporting the Occupy movement recently. By and large, Ted Honderich is a determinist, whose work has mainly focused on truth, consciousness and right and wrong (crime, political violence & terrorism). His involvement in political debates, for instance defending both Palestinians’ use of violence and the right of Israel to its original 1948 borders generated a fair deal of media attention, controversy and hatred and positioned him as a radically engaged philosopher.

His contributions to philosophy range from academic articles, books, media appearances (radio, TV), and being Chairman of the Royal Institute of Philosophy. In the absence of much competition, he (almost) unwillingly became a specialist on the philosophy of political violence in the 1970s and remained one of its main authors even after the war on terrorism started.

Philosophical works

Honderich’s chief involvement in the field of determinist studies resides in the rejection of both theories of Compatibilism (or soft determinism) and Incompatibilism, arguing that the freedom they refer to (voluntariness and origination) are essential to us. In that sense, he helped redefine determinism and give it a new purpose: freeing ourselves of what we must, but knowing the limits of our freedom (e.g. origination).

Likewise, his work on consciousness consisted in rejecting existing categorisations of the mind (physicalism and spiritualism) led to the “theory of radical externalism”, which defines the outside world partly according to our “perceptual consciousness”. In many ways, his contributions have managed to find a middle ground, which in the case of consciousness seem today confirmed by recent neuroscientific studies.

Photo of Ted Honderich

Grote Professor Emeritus of the philosophy of mind and logic at UCL, Ted Honderich is known for his outspoken views on issues of terrorism, democracy, anarchy and the principles of humanity.

BIOGRAPHY

Honderich was born in 1933 in Canada and started his studies in Toronto, graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy and English Literate which got him accepted at UCL for a PhD in 1959. He worked his whole life as a lecturer and professor in Britain, first at university of Sussex, then UCL and also as a Visiting professor in Bath, New York & Yale.

Philosophy with attitude

Most of his life has been about confrontation and independence, from resisting a strict religious upbringing to supporting the Occupy movement recently. By and large, Ted Honderich is a determinist, whose work has mainly focused on truth, consciousness and right and wrong (crime, political violence & terrorism). His involvement in political debates, for instance defending both Palestinians’ use of violence and the right of Israel to its original 1948 borders generated a fair deal of media attention, controversy and hatred and positioned him as a radically engaged philosopher.

His contributions to philosophy range from academic articles, books, media appearances (radio, TV), and being Chairman of the Royal Institute of Philosophy. In the absence of much competition, he (almost) unwillingly became a specialist on the philosophy of political violence in the 1970s and remained one of its main authors even after the war on terrorism started.

Philosophical works

Honderich’s chief involvement in the field of determinist studies resides in the rejection of both theories of Compatibilism (or soft determinism) and Incompatibilism, arguing that the freedom they refer to (voluntariness and origination) are essential to us. In that sense, he helped redefine determinism and give it a new purpose: freeing ourselves of what we must, but knowing the limits of our freedom (e.g. origination).

Likewise, his work on consciousness consisted in rejecting existing categorisations of the mind (physicalism and spiritualism) led to the “theory of radical externalism”, which defines the outside world partly according to our “perceptual consciousness”. In many ways, his contributions have managed to find a middle ground, which in the case of consciousness seem today confirmed by recent neuroscientific studies.

You May Also Like…

Robert Rowland Smith,Colin Blakemore,Mary Midgley

In Search of the Self

Are you an illusion?

Iain McGilchrist,Shahidha Bari,Beatrix Campbell

The Limits of Logic

Should we embrace the irrational?

Bence Nanay

The Fractured Mind

Bence Nanay | Should we avoid temptations?

Robert Rowland Smith,Peter Hacker,David Chalmers,Susana Martinez-Conde

The Dance of Life

Is experience all that we have?

Joanna Kavenna,David Malone,Ed Stafford,David Chalmers

In Search Of Ourselves

Is self-discovery a desirable and vital goal?

Barry C. Smith,Roger Bolton,Steven Rose,Margaret Boden

Neuroscience vs. Philosophy

Explaining the secrets of the mind

James Garvey,Corine Besson,Alison Milbank,Stephen Batchelor

The Limits of Reason

Is knowledge stranger than reason?

Hilary Lawson,Barry C. Smith,Rupert Read,Ophelia Deroy

The Illusion of Sense

Do our senses radically limit our understanding?

Massimo Pigliucci

How to be a Stoic

Live your Best Life

Barry C. Smith,Nicholas Humphrey,Robert Eaglestone,Anita Avramides

Knowing Others and Knowing Oneself

Are the minds of others profoundly unknowable?

Raymond Tallis

The Mind and the World

Raymond Tallis | The issue with neuromania

Theodore Dalrymple,Sean Curran,Julian Le Grand,Claire Fox

The Limits of Freedom

Is there such a thing as too much freedom?

Susan Blackmore,Nicholas Humphrey,Philip Goff,Barry C. Smith

The Secrets of Consciousness

Can the brain explain experience?

Joanna Kavenna,Eva Jablonka,Ray Brassier,Markus Gabriel

Matter and Mind

Is consciousness inexplicable?

Peter Hacker

Hearts and Minds

Should intuition or reason guide us?

Mark Salter,Helen Croydon,Richard K. Morgan,John Cottingham

The Story of I

Where does the narrative of the self come from?

Jonathan Derbyshire,George Ellis,Patrick Haggard,Jennifer Hornsby

The Chemistry of Freedom

Is free will an illusion?

Rupert Sheldrake

Mind and the Universe

Is consciousness stranger than we thought?

Mark Salter,Nayef Al-Rodhan,Philip Ball,Kristina Musholt

Fate, Freedom, and Neuroscience

The science of free will

Parashkev Nachev,Simon Wessely,Janne Teller,Suzannah Lipscomb

Truth, Lies and Self-Deception

Can we see ourselves clearly if we want to?

Roger Penrose,Iain McGilchrist,Joanna Kavenna,Nicholas Humphrey

Secrets of the Mind

Can science explain consciousness?

David Malone,Nicholas Humphrey,Galen Strawson,Shaun Ley

The Mind's Eye

Consciousness and the soul

Rupert Sheldrake

The Extended Mind

Is consciousness confined to the body?

John Harris,Simon Glendinning,Brooke Magnanti,Anne Phillips

Owning Ourselves

Are our bodies our property?

Roger Penrose,Hilary Lawson,Iain McGilchrist,Steve Fuller

Being Conscious

The science and philosophy of consciousness

Peter Hacker

On Having a Mind, Having a Body, and Being a Person

Christopher Hamilton

The Fragility of the Human Personality

Frank Furedi

Dangerous Convictions

Frank Furedi | Could we live without certainty?

Ted Honderich

Actual Consciousness

The Limits of Human Consciousness and Thought

Shahidha Bari,James Williams,Véronique Mottier

Stories of Desire

Can desire help us make sense of the world?

Miguel Farias,Linda Woodhead,Vishvapani Blomfield,Barry C Smith

At One With Ourselves

Are meditation and mindfulness just myths?

AC Grayling

Mind in the 21st Century

Lou Marinoff,Renata Salecl,Lynne Segal,Peter Curran

The Tyranny of Freedom

Do we have too much choice?

Mark Vernon

The Evolution of Consciousness

The transformative ideas of Owen Barfield

Steve Fuller,Robert Rowland Smith,Peter Hacker,Steven Rose

The Edge of Reason

Beyond the limits of rationality

Ted Honderich

Metaphors of the Mind

Does metaphor hold the key to consciousness?

Mark Vernon,David Malone,Emma Borg,Oliver Burkeman

The Road to the Good Life

Is reason the key to a better world?

Mary Midgley

Are Selves Unreal?

Debunking the establishment's attack on the Self

Rachel Armstrong,Tim Crane,Colin Blakemore,Mary Midgley,John Harris

Animal Reason

Is consciousness unique to humans?

Hilary Lawson,Bryan Appleyard,Elisabeth Schellekens,Semir Zeki

Inside the Mind’s Eye

Christopher Hamilton,Daniel Miller,Adjoa Andoh,Helen Croydon

Catching Sight of Ourselves

Who looks back in the mirror?

Shahidha Bari

The Philosopher’s Guide to Style

Why appearance matters

Julian Baggini

The Ego Trick

Is the self an illusion?

Jonathan Derbyshire,Mary Warnock,Hilary Lawson,Mark Salter,Robert Rowland Smith

Sensuality and Deception

Henrietta Moore,Julian Baggini,Barry C. Smith,Martin Jacques,Simon May

Who Looks Back in the Mirror

Are we any closer to understanding the self, and what makes each one of us who we are?

Don Cupitt,Yasmin Alibhai-Brown,Mark Salter,Juliet Gardiner

Outrageous Fortune

Fate in modern society

Robert Rowland Smith

The Architecture of Being

Navigating our relationships

Robert Rowland Smith

Entering the Unknown

What can we know of ourselves and the world?

Barry C. Smith,Robert Rowland Smith,Julie Bindel,Shahidha Bari

Thinking Afresh

Is consistency consistent?

David Maclagan,Livy Powell

The View From Outside