13 Facts About Joel Feinberg

Joel Feinberg was an American political and legal philosopher.

Joel Feinberg is known for his work in the fields of ethics, action theory, philosophy of law, and political philosophy as well as individual rights and the authority of the state.

Joel Feinberg studied at the University of Michigan, writing his dissertation on the philosophy of the Harvard professor Ralph Barton Perry under the supervision of Charles Stevenson.

Joel Feinberg taught at Brown University, Princeton University, UCLA and Rockefeller University, and, from 1977, at the University of Arizona, where he retired in 1994 as Regents Professor of Philosophy and Law.

Joel Feinberg was internationally distinguished for his research in moral, social and legal philosophy.

Joel Feinberg held many major fellowships during his career and lectured by invitation at universities around the world.

Joel Feinberg was an esteemed and highly successful teacher, and many of his students are now prominent scholars and professors at universities across the US.

Joel Feinberg observes that such arguments for psychological egoism are rarely mounted on the basis of empirical proof when, being psychological, they very well ought to.

Joel Feinberg uses William James's analogy to illustrate this fallacy: although an ocean liner always consumes coal on its trans-Atlantic voyages, it is unlikely that the sole purpose of these voyages is coal consumption.

Joel Feinberg poses a thought experiment in which a character named Jones is apathetic about all but the pursuit of his own happiness.

Joel Feinberg begins by analyzing rights as "claims to something and against someone" which are recognized by legal rules.

Joel Feinberg adopts an interest theory of rights, according to which a right can be had by any entity with interests.

Joel Feinberg spends the rest of the paper applying his interest theory to other entities, including plants, species, corporations, severely mentally disabled humans, dead humans, fetuses, and future generations.