Robert A. Stern, emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Sheffield, has died.

Professor Stern was known for his work in the history of philosophy, particularly on Hegel and Kant. He is the author of The Radical Demand in Løgstrup’s Ethics (2019), Kantian Ethics: Value, Agency, and Obligation (2015), Understanding Moral Obligation: Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard (2011),  Hegelian Metaphysics (2009), and Transcendental Arguments and Scepticism: Answering the Question of Justification (2000), and Hegel, Kant and the Structure of the Object (1990) among many other works. You can learn more about his writings here and here.

Stern joined the philosophy faculty at Sheffield in 1989. He earned his PhD and undergraduate degrees from Cambridge University.

Stern was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, which he discussed (along with many other subjects) in this interview. In response to a question about fearing death, he said:

I am sure this kind of experience differs greatly between people, and I can’t in any way claim to speak for others. But perhaps curiously, in my case, I seem not to be afraid of death – though of course it may be different for me when it is finally my turn. Instead, I just feel grateful for how lucky I have been in life with my family, friends, work, and so on. This leads me to feel I can hardly complain when I am no longer around to enjoy life, though of course I would be perfectly happy to have more… What I do regret, instead, is the effect that the outcome will have on others, particularly family and close friends, who will experience life in my absence in a way that I will not. But I hope that memories of really valuable and happy relationships will replace this immediate experience of grief, and thereby provide comfort over time.

Stern was a runner and a memorial fundraiser in his name supporting ParkRun Global has been set up here.

He died on August 21st, 2024.

UPDATE (9/26/24): An obituary in The Guardian.