This volume contains 50 philosophical papers written to celebrate Ingvar Johansson’s 70th birthday.

What is it about?

This book is a tribute to Professor Ingvar Johansson — a philosopher through and through — on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. It is a collection of contributions from all over the world written expressively for this volume by a host of philosophers at various stages in their career, who have all enjoyed an association with Ingvar, as a friend, colleague, and/or mentor. This is our way of expressing our esteem of him and his work on this happy occasion. His work, by the way, is not at an end. For him “retirement” only means an open-ended research leave. Ingvar has made very significant contributions to 20th and 21st Century philosophy, both in his treatment of classical philosophical problems, but also through his extraordinary ability to detect hitherto unnoticed philosophical issues and to say something very interesting about it. The latter is perhaps best seen in his discussions of issues in the interface between philosophy and the natural sciences. However, we will not attempt to summarize Ingvar’s career or the content and value of his philosophical works, although a bibliography of his works is provided at the end of this book. No, for someone for whom philosophy is a way of life (a cliché that just occasionally is all too true), as opposed to a job, or hobby, or a means to fame or fortune, the proper expression of esteem is to offer to him, as a kind of ritual sacrifice, the fruits of our philosophical labour. We hope he will enjoy reading the essays as much as we enjoyed writing them. If he likes them, it is praise of the highest kind. The contributors have been completely free to choose their subject matter, wherefore they are not organised according to any theme. The diversity of philosophical subject matters discussed in the various essays reflect the breadth of Ingvar’s philosophical interests and engagement with philosophy, and the essays all aspire in their manner of approaching each subject to pay homage to Ingvar’s passion for serious philosophical reflection. The international distribution of contributors indicates better than anything the worldwide impact of Ingvar’s work; and, conversely, that everywhere in the world people know to appreciate first class philosophy. Ingvar’s works have undeniably made their impact on us all, but maybe more what could be called his philosophically virtuous nature. He is generous with his vast knowledge of philosophy, constructive in his criticism, and encouraging in his praise. He is driven by the pursuit of truth and knows that we can only hope to achieve it together; a true socialist in intellectual as well as material sense. All in all, he bears the mark of someone with a “great soul”, someone worthy of the highest praise but who has the correct attitude towards receiving such honours. In other words, he deserves the honour now bestowed upon him, but it won’t turn him into a diva.

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Why is it important?

The volume as a whole has no particular theme, but various papers in it are on the cutting edge of their respective field.