She made me read Simone de Beauvoir on our second date. I thought it was a test. It was. I passed. Forty years.
5 months ago
Nora Elizabeth Burns
December 11, 1939 – January 11, 2026 · 86 years
"She asked good questions and listened to the answers."
Biography
Nora Elizabeth Burns was a retired professor of philosophy at the University of Vermont, where she taught for 40 years and influenced generations of students. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Nora earned her doctorate at Oxford and crossed the Atlantic in 1968. She published six books on ethics and moral philosophy, the last of which she finished at age 84. Nora was a fierce debater, a gentle counselor, and the kind of professor students came back to visit decades later. She is survived by her partner Helena, her brother Seamus, and former students who number in the thousands.
Messages & Tributes (14)
+ Write a MessageHer book "The Weight of Ought" changed how I understand obligation entirely. I assign it to every ethics class I teach. That will continue.
5 months ago
We disagreed about foundationalism for 30 years. I am going to miss that argument more than I can say.
5 months ago
I took her Introduction to Ethics course in 1998 and changed my major the following week. She did that to people.
5 months ago
She published her last book at 84. It is her best. A philosopher who kept getting sharper with age — a rare and wonderful thing.
5 months ago
Forty years together. She asked better questions than anyone alive and she listened to the answers with her entire self. I miss her with my entire self.
5 months ago
Nora Burns wrote clearer sentences than any philosopher I have ever read. Clarity, she said, is a form of respect for the reader. She never disrespected a reader.
5 months ago
She came to my dissertation defense when she was already ill and sat in the front row. She asked the final question. It was perfect. That was Nora.
5 months ago
She showed up to every student presentation regardless of the topic. She said listening was the most important professional skill and she practiced it accordingly.
5 months ago
Aunt Nora used to send us philosophy puzzles at Christmas instead of cards. We complained. Now I understand she was giving us the better gift.
5 months ago