Rebecca Bamford is Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy & Political Science at Quinnipiac University, and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the University of Fort Hare, East London, South Africa. She works mainly on Nietzsche, bioethics, and African philosophy.
Which books have changed your life? In what ways?
Nietzsche’s Twilight of the Idols. I found a copy in my school library when I was 15. I read the first page, and didn’t understand what I was reading. I started to wonder how to make sense of it, and became quite captivated. When I eventually looked up, the world seemed somehow altered, in a way I couldn’t explain. I’d certainly never read anything like the book before, and I thought it might be worth persisting, to see if I could work out what was going on. I even persuaded my father to let me buy my own copy, which was unusual. Most of the books I read as a child were from the community and school library — I had been given a double set of library tickets by kind librarians, which allowed me to indulge my intense reading habit. So, I spent hours with my first purchased philosophy book, looking up words that I didn’t know, and puzzling through the notes with the aid of several dictionaries, trying to make sense of it. (The translator was Reg Hollingdale, who I later got to meet through the Friedrich Nietzsche Society). I had no notion that I was doing anything especially scholarly — I was simply fascinated.
What do you like to do outside work?
I spend a lot of time doing strength endurance training, which is now a lifelong commitment for medical reasons. I had a knee injury two years ago — a torn ACL. Recovery has been compounded by chronic problems from a previous ankle injury. The nonsurgical recovery plan recommended by my doctor has been tough, but it is going well, thanks to support from my husband and from the physical therapists and athletic trainers at the clinic I attend. My experience as a long-term patient has sparked my interest in the philosophy of physical therapy. There are plenty of ethical questions to consider with respect to care access, patients’ and professionals’ responsibilities, and navigating the clinical environment, but also I think there are some interesting issues at the intersection of physical therapy, moral psychology, and philosophy of mind to explore. I hope to address some of those in a future project.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve written?
I tend to work on a lot of different projects at once, so I have a few current favorite things. One is my co-authored book, Nietzsche’s Dawn: Philosophy, Ethics, and the Passion of Knowledge, forthcoming with Wiley-Blackwell. This is the first book-length study in Anglophone Nietzsche studies that focuses solely on providing critical engagement with Nietzsche’s philosophical project in Dawn, and it explores the implications of Nietzsche’s critique of morality for his thinking on the self, the body, Christianity, death and dying, and the political. Another is my book on Nietzsche’s philosophy of science and mind for de Gruyter, which I’m currently trying to finish. There, I present a novel account of Nietzsche’s experimentalism in the free spirit works and later writings, and assess ways in which experimentalism clarifies Nietzsche’s remarks on the relationship between philosophy and the sciences. A third is my co-edited collection on Nietzsche and politicized identities for SUNY Press, and a fourth is a new project on Nietzsche in bioethics.
Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled and why?
I’m torn between South Africa and New York. Living and working in both places has been transformative for me personally, politically, and philosophically. My husband’s family are all in South Africa, but I’d only visited briefly once before I moved there. These days, I’m increasingly teaching and writing about African ethics, medicine, and decolonization. I’m so grateful to have the chance to work with colleagues and friends in South Africa, especially at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Fort Hare, and the Association of Political Theory in Africa. I hadn’t really thought much about living in New York City, and I had never visited before I moved there — I was simply glad to have found a job (a visiting position that I really enjoyed, at Hunter College’s Department of Philosophy). I have gotten to know New York fairly well now, but my first view of the city from the George Washington Bridge, on a hot summer afternoon, stays with me.
What technology do you wish the human race could discover/create/invent right now?
A vaccine for COVID-19. Since I was watching Star Trek: Picard recently, I could also wish for transporter technology. I would so much like friends to be able to simply materialize to have tea, and to be able to visit family without the environmental impact of flying.
When did you last sing to yourself, or to someone else?
I sing to my cats, when I’m happy.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
