Rachel Zuckert grew up in Northfield, Minnesota. She studied philosophy at Williams College, Oxford University, and the University of Chicago. She has taught at Bucknell University and Rice University, and is now Peter B. Ritzma Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy at Northwestern University.
What excites you about philosophy?
I am most attracted to theoretical systematicity, and to the sense that there is always another concept, claim, or argument to be thought through beyond what I have so far understood. This is why I was initially hooked by Kant, and then the other grand thought-systems of German Idealism, and why I am perpetually drawn back to the aesthetics of the sublime—the overwhelming-exhilarating experience of something as (if) beyond oneself and one’s powers.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve written? What are you most proud of in your professional life?
Usually, the current thing I’m writing is my favorite—it’s exciting to explore new intellectual terrain—until it gets to be about 75% finished, and then I start being disappointed. I am proud that I have nonetheless managed to work through that disappointment to finish things. And maybe I still like some of my essays on unusual (oddball?) topics, such as Kant on practical fanaticism, or on grace and self-righteousness; or the aesthetics of magnificence in Adam Smith.
What are you working on right now?
A single-authored collection of essays on Kant’s concept of reason and its emotional resonances, including topics such as: the sublime; intellectual curiosity and moral striving; hope for a better future; fear of the abyss of ungroundedness.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
I’m not sure this counts exactly as my accomplishment, but the thing that I have done and continue to do that I most value is raising my child.
If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?
Obviously: how we can fix things to address climate change, both scientifically and politically.
What three things are on your bucket list that you’ve not yet accomplished?
I would like to: travel to Iceland, Easter Island, and Angkor Wat; spend some extended time living in S. Korea and learning the language; and read Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy (among many other things!).
What are you reading right now? Would you recommend it? Â
I’m usually reading a good bit for work—shout out to John Callanan, whose fantastic articles on Kant I’m reading and finding inspiring! When I have time, I like to read work-adjacent philosophy also; right now, that’s Justin E.H. Smith’s Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason. For fiction, I’m listening to Yangsze Choo’s The Fox Wife on audiobook, and I just finished reading Lauren Groff’s Matrix; she’s perhaps my favorite living writer. Yes, recommend them all!
Which books have changed your life? In what ways?
Reading Kant’s Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics convinced me, in my first year of college, that philosophy was the most interesting thing there is and that I should keep on studying it, if possible—so I did.
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
She would roll her eyes: my parents, who were political theory professors, constantly talked about Hegel and things of that ilk over the dinner table—which my sister and I found tedious. We were absolutely set upon falling far far away from that proverbial tree, though we both ultimately failed to do that.
You’re stuck on a desert island, and you can only have one recreational activity. What is it?
To watch K-dramas.
What is your least favorite type of fruit and why?
I hate mangos: to me, they taste like soap.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
Don’t start working on an article you’ve been invited to write for an edited collection until you see the contract.
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.
Josey Aron
Josey Aron (Series Editor, APA Member Interview Series) is a law student at the University of Virginia. They hold a BA and MA in philosophy from the University of Alabama. Their primary research interests are applied ethics, social ontology, and philosophy of language. In their free time, Josey enjoys baking, hiking with their dog, and D&D.
