The American Academy of Arts & Sciences announced the election of four University of Wisconsin professors to its distinguished national honorary society on Wednesday, recognizing their accomplishments in the social and behavioral sciences.
All new members from UW — Harry Brighouse, Patricia Devine, Lisa Martin and Mark Seidenberg — are College of Letters & Science faculty and bring expertise in political philosophy, psychology, political science and cognitive neuroscience.
Other notable members elected this year include CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella. The organization has been around for hundreds of years — Benjamin Franklin was elected in 1781, along with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1966.
UW philosophy professor Harry Brighouse was honored for his influential work in education philosophy.
“The American Academy is sort of the premier academy in the U.S.,” Brighouse said. “It’s a very high honor. I was very surprised.”
The selection process is confidential and nominees are unaware until officially elected, Brighouse said.
He sees the recognition as a validation of his contributions to education theory.
Brighouse’s shift toward educational philosophy began early in his time at UW. It was prompted by a debate with his father, an education administrator in the UK. After writing a scholarly response to his father’s ideas about school choice, a friend encouraged him to publish it.
“That is how I started working in the philosophy of education,” Brighouse said.
Brighouse emphasized one key idea from his work he believes should resonate broadly — the importance of high-quality undergraduate teaching.
“We have a duty to improve the quality of instruction,” Brighouse said. “For most professors, the main contribution they’re going to make to society is through the teaching they do and the work their students go on to do.”
Brighouse also credited the support he’s received throughout his career, as truly exceptional and widely respected work is never accomplished entirely alone.
“One of the bits of luck I had was coming to UW,” Brighouse said. “It’s been exactly the right environment for me to do good work.”
Brighouse and his colleagues join a group of nearly 250 new members across academia, the arts, science and public affairs, marking another proud moment in UW’s tradition of academic excellence.
