Sarah Broadie (1941-2021)
Sarah Jean Broadie (née Waterlow), professor of philosophy at the University of St. Andrews, has died.
Professor Broadie was well-known for her work in ancient philosophy, publishing several books and articles on Plato and Aristotle, often bringing ancient texts and ideas into contact with contemporary discussions in metaphysics and ethics. Her last book, published earlier this summer, is Plato’s Sun-Like Good: Dialectic in the Republic. You can learn more about her work here and here.
Professor Broadie joined the University of St. Andrews in 2001. Prior to that, she held positions at Princeton University, Rutgers University, Yale University, the University of Texas, and the University of Edinburgh. She did her graduate work at Oxford University (Sommerville College).
I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sarah Broadie, OBE. I saw her weekly for three years at Arche’s metaphysics research group or at the Cottage Kitchen, and she also participated in the Kant reading party the year I went. Her comments were unfailingly insightful. We discussed inter alia grounding, and what it was like to be writing constantly. I found her to be always interested in discussing work, her writing on ancient metaphysics – to say nothing of her work on ethics, for which she is more famous – is fascinating, and St Andrews and the world are immeasurably worse off for her loss
For appreciation see https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/philosophy/news/title-130913-en.php
Professor Broadie agreed to be my tutor for my undergraduate dissertation in 2004-05. She was one of the most brilliantly intelligent and interesting people I have ever met. It was so exciting just to be able to listen to her and learn from her. A brilliant mind, and a lovely person. RIP.
Sarah was a brilliant, kind, modest, and remarkable person. I did not know her well, but when I had the good fortune to be in her presence her intellect and curiosity glowed so brightly and warmed everyone around her. In addition to her many more important virtues she holds the record for the quickest turnaround on an article as a referee in my years of editing. And not just the paper — she was mediating between two opposed reports, so she read the paper plus the two reports, came to a fair, thoughtful judgment, wrote it up and sent it back to me in or under an hour.