JOHN HAUGELAND  | 1945–2010

John Haugeland, a scholar known for his work on philosophy of mind, died June 23 following a heart attack on May 22 that occurred during a University conference held in his honor. He was 65.

At the conference, James Conant, Chair of Philosophy and the Chester D. Tripp Professor in Humanities, Philosophy, and the College, praised Haugeland’s “profound and lasting contributions to many different areas of philosophy.” In particular, he noted Haugeland’s work on the existentialist philosopher Heidegger and on the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence.

Haugeland, the David B. and Clara E. Stern Professor in Philosophy, joined the Chicago faculty in 1999. From 2004–2007, he was Chair of the Philosophy Department.

“He was an exemplary chair,” said Robert Pippin, the Evelyn Stefansson Nef Distinguished Service Professor of Social Thought, Philosophy, and the College. “John had no shred of egoism. He was very sweet and very considerate, but he was also someone with firmly held principles about philosophy and academic life.”

Born March 13, 1945, Haugeland received his BS in physics from Harvey Mudd College in 1966, and his PhD in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1976. He taught at the University of Pittsburgh from 1974 until coming to Chicago.

Haugeland’s book Artificial Intelligence: The Very Idea (1985), has been translated into five languages. It received acclaim not only for its analysis but also for its lucid and engaging style.

That down-to-earth quality was typical of Haugeland’s work, said Clark Remington, a graduate student who worked closely with Haugeland until his death. In his well-known paper, “The Intentionality All-Stars,” Haugeland explored the philosophical debate over intentionality by assigning various philosophers to different positions in baseball. “It’s a delightful, hilarious article describing who in the field would be second base, left field, pitcher, etc., and it’s incredibly insightful. It’s typical that he would use humor to get right to the heart of something,” Remington said.

In 1998, Haugeland published Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind, a collection of essays from throughout his career. “If I had to do a ‘how-to’ book on ‘how to do philosophy,’ this essay would be one I would dissect at length, revealing its virtues,” philosopher Daniel C. Dennett wrote of Haugeland’s essay “Representational Genera.”

In 2003, Haugeland received a Guggenheim Fellowship to begin work on Heidegger Disclosed, a bold and unique reinterpretation of Heidegger’s Being and Time. At the time of Haugeland’s death, the book was two-thirds complete. “If it’s published, it’s sure to be one of the most important works on Heidegger,” said Pippin.

Family and friends remember Haugeland’s quick wit and caring relationships with his colleagues and students. In his spare time, Haugeland was an avid movie-watcher, said his wife, Joan Wellman, and a gifted woodworker and handyman.

Donations to the John Haugeland Undergraduate Fund may be sent to the University of Chicago Philosophy Department, Stuart 202, 1115 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637.—Susie Allen, AB’09

ANGELA GUGLIOTTA  | 1963–2010

Angela Gugliotta, a teacher of environmental history whose research challenged the categorical distinction between natural and social knowledge, died on June 1 after a ten-year battle with breast cancer. She was 47.

Gugliotta served as lecturer in the College and research associate in the Humanities Division since 2002. Her teaching was primarily in environmental studies and the Humanities Core.

“Angela was a gifted scholar, a fine teacher, and a dedicated mentor to our students,” said Mark Lycett, director of the Program on the Global Environment, which administers the environmental studies major in the College. “She was an incisive and creative voice in our program, and her contributions are irreplaceable.”

At the time of her death, Gugliotta was revising her dissertation for publication. “‘Hell with the Lid Taken Off:’ A Cultural History of Air Pollution—Pittsburgh” is a broad-based exploration of “the meaning of smoke to the city” during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Michael Kremer, Gugliotta’s husband and Professor in Philosophy and the College, plans to complete the revisions for the History of the Urban Environment series, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

Gugliotta received her BS in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University, an MA in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University, and her MA and PhD in history from the University of Notre Dame.

When Gugliotta first moved to the University with Kremer, she quickly sought opportunities to teach, despite having been diagnosed with cancer. She plunged into her professorial duties energetically, say colleagues and students, and eventually taught more than a dozen courses. “It was obvious from the first few classes I ever took with her that she was passionate about what she studied,” said Greg Fahl, AB’10. “But what really set her apart both as a professor and person was her incredible warmth and compassion.”—Thomas Gaulkink, AB’04

The original versions of these obituaries of John Haugeland and Angela Gugliotta appeared on the University's news website.

IAN MUELLER  |  1938­­­−2010

Ian Mueller, Professor Emeritus in Philosophy, died suddenly on August 6, 2010. A full obituary will be published in the next issue ofTableau.

Friends, colleagues, and former students are encouraged to share their thoughts and memories at websites for Ian Mueller and John Haugeland maintained by the Department of Philosophy.