University Distinguished Professor Weinberger
Friday, 28 October 2011 18:50
After forty years of contributions to students, the community and the field of political philosophy, Dr. Jerry Weinberger was awarded one of the highest honors that Michigan State University can bestow upon a faculty member: University Distinguished Professor. Recommended by President Lou Anna Simon and approved by the MSU Board of Trustees, Dr. Weinberger joined ten other accomplished faculty members in receiving the honor at the close of the 2010-2011 academic year.
A graduate of the University of California at Berkley and Harvard University, Dr. Weinberger began his career at MSU in 1971. In 1976 he was made an associate professor and, a decade later, a full professor. During his tenure, Weinberger has taught courses across the political philosophy curriculum and has authored several books and articles. When asked to reflect on what is most striking about his 40-year tenure, Dr. Weinberger remarked that "most of life is accident." Some of the most rewarding parts of his career have been unplanned.
Dr. Weinberger began his academic life as a scholar of the 16th century British scientist and statesman, Sir Francis Bacon. He published two books on the topic, Science, Faith and Politics: Francis Bacon and the Utopian Roots of the Modern Age, and Francis Bacon's History of the Reign of Henry VII: A New Edition with Introduction, Annotation, and Interpretive Essay, which placed Dr. Weinberger's thoughts in the pages behind one of Bacon's works. Research for this project led Dr. Weinberger to the deepest archives of the British Museum, where he read the original manuscript with marginal notes written in Bacon's own hand. Needless to say, he has been privileged to work with some very rare-and expensive-books!
But Dr. Weinberger had only begun. His career took an unexpected twist when a respected colleague, Dr. Wilson Carey McWilliams of Rutgers University, asked him to write a book about Benjamin Franklin. Dr. Weinberger, knowing relatively little about our Founding Fathers and the Colonial Era, was curious why McWilliams had contacted him; certainly many others knew far more about the topic. McWilliams was not looking for a typical Benjamin Franklin biography - he suspected that Benjamin Franklin was America's first Baconian - and this was certainly a topic Dr. Weinberger was familiar with. Dr. Weinberger was still rather skeptical, but agreed to take on the project, mostly due to his respect for Dr. McWilliams.
The work did not come easily. He took over seven years and he thrice discarded full length drafts, before the fourth draft finally met the high expectations Dr. Weinberger set for himself. Unfortunately, McWilliams did not live to see the publication of Benjamin Franklin Unmasked: On the Unity of his Moral, Religious, and Political Thought. But the text was highly successful and earned Dr. Weinberger the honor of being invited to the National Press Club Book Fair. While his work on Bacon attracted an audience primarily consisting of academics, his book on Franklin had much broader, mass appeal. This newfound exposure opened a new, serendipitous door for Dr. Weinberger. He was asked to become a contributor to City Journal, a popular magazine published by the Manhattan Institute. Dr. Weinberger has relished the opportunity to share his thoughts on a wide array of subjects, authoring articles such as "On Smoking a Cigar," "America's Food Revolution," and "Giving Up the Hog." The full text of these and several other interesting pieces is available at www.city-journal.org/author_index.php?author=577.
While Dr. Weinberger has had the good fortune to indulge in unexpected opportunities and successes, he has derived enjoyment from many of the traditional pleasures offered by an academic career: the numerous graduate students for whom he has sat on committees, the opportunity to shoulder administrative responsibilities as Department Chair, and the opportunity to impart the wisdom of Aristophanes' The Clouds, his favorite text to teach. He has won numerous awards in praise of his perspicuous teaching and contributions to his field.
His life and career are sure to be filled with many interesting adventures yet to come. Dr. Weinberger continues to enjoy working with students at MSU and will undoubtedly continue to stumble upon new and exciting avenues as he continues to question the relationships between political philosophy and the many interesting things he observes in the world around us.
