Frank Cunningham, professor emeritus of philosophy and political science at the University of Toronto, has died.

Professor Cunningham was known for his work in political philosophy, especially democratic theory. He authored several books, including Objectivity in Social Science (1973), Democratic Theory and Socialism (1987), The Real World of Democracy Revisited and Other Essays on Socialism and Democracy (1994), Theories of Democracy: A Critical Introduction (2002), The Political Thought of C. B. Macpherson: Contemporary Applications (2019), and Ideas in Context: Essays in Social & Political Theory (2020). You can learn more about his writings here and here. He also co-authored a textbook for use as part of Ontario’s high school curriculum for philosophy.

Professor Cunningham joined the Toronto philosophy faculty in 1967 as a lecturer while completing his dissertation there. He was cross-appointed in political science there (in 2000) and also took up an additional position at the university’s School of Cities (2007-2013). Prior to moving to Toronto, he had earned his M.A. in philosophy at the University of Chicago and was an undergraduate at Indiana University. He retired from Toronto in 2009. In 2015 he took up an adjunct position in the Urban Studies program at Simon Fraser University.

Professor Cunningham died on February 4, 2022.

The Toronto Department of Philosophy has posted an obituary here, and this obituary was published by The Globe and Mail.