Philosophy professor wins Mellon Foundation award

When Pitt philosophy professor John McDowell learned that he would receive the 2010… When Pitt philosophy professor John McDowell learned that he would receive the 2010 Distinguished Achievement Award, he was shocked.

“It came completely out of the blue. I was amazed and delighted. It is a huge honor,” McDowell said.

The award is given annually by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to three professors in the U.S. who research the humanities. Along with the title, the Foundation will also award McDowell a $1.5 million grant to support his research.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation web site describes the award’s recipients as people whose “past scholarship has had a creative effect in their disciplines and on their own students, has affected the thinking of scholars in other fields, and whose current work promises to make significant new contributions through both teaching and research.”

McDowell hopes that the money will allow himself and his colleagues to pursue

projects in their field. Much of McDowell’s work has involved the philosophy of language, according to the Mellon Foundation’s web site.

“These are all things that I would have done regardless of the grant, but now I can do them with more energy,” McDowell said

McDowell is the second Pitt professor to receive the award, joining fellow Pitt professor Robert Brandom, the 2003 recipient.

In a statement on Pitt’s web site, Chancellor Mark Nordenberg congratulated McDowell on his achievement.

“His significant contributions to philosophy have enhanced both his discipline and the legacy of groundbreaking philosophical inquiry and discovery for which our University’s Department of Philosophy is widely known.”