The passing of Douglas Arner

I have just learned that, last year Douglas Arner, perhaps the best lecturer I have ever encountered has passed away. He was my professor at Arizona State University during my undergraduate years from 1973-1975 and during my graduate career there from 1981-1984. I still use his examples and arguments when I teach classes today. Most philosophy classes are pretty boring if only the teacher speaks. Douglas Arner's classes could be interesting even if there were no class discussion, because of his smooth and fascinating lecture style. But there usually was plenty of discussion, which he handled with extraordinary grace. He was a Presbyterian, a Christian philosopher before there was a Society of Christian Philosophers. He did more to generate enthusiasm for philosophical classics than anyone I have encountered before or since. His introductory philosophy classes managed to bring cover all the major issues in philosophy out of the middle dialogues of Plato. His other philosophical passion was Immanuel Kant, in particular Kantian ethics. There's a lot of Arner in, for example, my treatment of ethical relativism, and the phrase "It is wrong to inflict pain on little children for your own amusement" is cribbed straight from his lectures.