Bob Solomon, September 1942 – January 2007

Over the holiday I have been listening to a series of lectures on auto tape distributed by the Teaching Company called No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life. To be honest, when friends give me papers or books titled so, I often appear thankful for the present, fain interest in it because it has something to do with philosophy and then summarily banish it to the darkest corner of my bookshelf (somewhere between the Joy of Cooking, and Philosophy of the Simpsons or something like that). During Christmas time this usually happens with regularity. Nonetheless, I knew that the lecturer was Bob Solomon, and so I listened to the lectures with earnest.

"The message of Existentialism, unlike that of many more obscure and academic philosophical movements, is about as simple as can be. It is that every one of us, as an individual, is responsible—responsible for what we do, responsible for who we are, responsible for the way we face and deal with the world, responsible, ultimately, for the way the world is. "It is, in a very short phrase, the philosophy of 'No excuses!' We cannot shift that burden onto God, or nature, or the ways of the world." —Professor Robert Solomon

For me, topics in existentialism have been interesting from a literal or classical prospective, but a philosophical subject sorely overlooked during my time at Pitt, and now at Buffalo. Not really having any formal training in this area, I was genuinely excited to take this audio course, and ended up really learning a lot from it. I really cannot say enough about the experience and recommend it for anyone in my situation, as well as to the most advanced, in this and a wide variety of neighboring disciplines. As a graduate student navigating the job climate, deciding such silly questions as which AOSs are the right AOSs and which AOCs are the right AOCs, Bob’s lectures were incredibly insightful and meaningful. On this, the first anniversary of his passing, I wanted to share this thought in a small tribute. I felt touched by this, in that simply, these lectures have inspired me to continue being passionate about philosophy.

If you asked many professional philosophers today why they fist started studying philosophy, the answer you get most is that there was one incredible person who inspired her in a way that no other professor has before. I know there are many that would claim this claim for Bob, and after listening to him speak for any amount of time, it is easy to tell why. Your students all over the world thank you, and continue to learn from your work, dedication, and commitment.

In closing, I am sure you are familar with the digitally rotoscoped film Waking Life. Regardless of how you may feel about the style or bulk of its content, Bob's cameo is clearly one of the highlights. I've been told by those who were close, that the clip really captures something familiar.