Robert Gordon (1932-2025)
Robert “Bob” Gordon, emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, died this past April.
Professor Gordon was known for his work in philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and philosophy of the emotions, and in particular his development of simulation theory. He is the author of The Structure of Emotions: Investigations in Cognitive Philosophy (1987). You can learn more about his writings here.
Gordon joined the Department of Philosophy at the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 1970. He previously held positions at the University of Wisconsin and the the University of Florida. He earned his PhD from Columbia University and his undergraduate degree from Carleton College.
A celebration of the life of Professor Gordon will be taking place on Sunday, September 28, 2025, 5pm, at the Ethical Society of St. Louis (and online, as well).
Robert Gordon died on April 13, 2025.
(via Gualtiero Piccinini)
I have some fond memories of interviewing Robert Gordon in 2008 when he was visiting Radboud University; which is where I was doing my undergraduate. He was very kind and patient with two students who had barely done one course in philosophy of mind and were questioning him about his work on emotion and simulation theory. I’m sad to hear he passed away.
The interview is still online, written with only a hint of Dunglish. After rereading it just now, it’s interesting mostly because of some biographical details. Which perhaps makes it well-suited for this occasion. Link: https://philpapers.org/rec/KIEAWT