Background
Dancy, Jonathan Peter was born on May 8, 1946 in Oxford, England. Son of John Christopher and Florence Angela (Bryant) Dancy.
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Jonathan Peter Dancy
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Bachelor of Arts, University of Oxford, 1969, Bachelor of Philosophy, 1971,Master of Arts, 1972. Lecturer classical philosophy Pembroke College, University of Oxford, 1970-1971. Lecturer philosophy U. Keele, England, 1971-1987, senior lecturer, 1987-1989, reader, 1989-1991, professor, 1991-1996.
Professor philosophy U. Reading, England, 1996.
Career
He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Reading and Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin. After graduating he served as a lecturer at Pembroke College, Oxford for a year. In 1971 he became a lecturer at Keele University, becoming professor there in 1991.
After having worked on problems of epistemology, and more particularly on the nature of perception (argument from illusion), he emerged as the leading proponent in ethics of moral particularism, the idea that all moral reasons are particular and context-sensitive, rather than general.
In this sense, reasons are context-dependent. Dancy edited some of George Berkeley writings and dedicated a book to the Anglo-Irish thinker.
After being mentioned by his daughter-in-law, American actress Claire Danes, during an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Dancy appeared as a guest on the program on 1 April 2010.
Achievements
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He also defends what he calls the holism of reasons, namely the idea that a consideration that is a reason for acting in a certain way in one case may not be a reason for acting in that way, or even a reason for not acting in that way, in other cases. Dancy argues that the holism of reasons provides a major support for the main claim of his particularism, id est (that is), that there are no moral principles but that morality can get on perfectly well without them.
Membership
Member Aristotelian Society, Mind Association, Musicians Union.
Interests
Connections
Married Sarah Ann Birley, March 31, 1973. Children: Hugh, Jack, Kate.
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Nationality
United Kingdom