We write to share the sad news that David Keyt, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Washington, Seattle, died January 31, 2025. Professor Keyt received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Kenyon College and his doctorate from Cornell in 1955. He was an institution unto himself at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he made his academic home from 1957 until his retirement in 2013. For over fifty years, he taught courses in logic and ancient Greek philosophy, and earned admiration and gratitude from generations of students. In retirement, David and his wife Christine spent their time in Arizona, where David held the title of Research Professor for the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom at the University of Arizona. Throughout his retirement David remained highly active: writing, editing, attending conferences, and adding to his ever-growing circle of intellectual colleagues. In 2013 he returned to Kenyon College, his alma mater, to deliver an address in the prestigious Larwill Lecture Series entitled, “Rescuing Aristotle from the Odd, the Outdated and the Odious,” which offered the combination of philosophical insight and sharp wit for which David was renowned.
Keyt’s publications include Nature and Justice: Studies in the Ethical and Political Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle (Peeters, 2017) and Aristotle: Politics V and VI, Translation and Commentary (Clarendon Press, 1999). He edited three fantastic collections: Freedom, Reason, and the Polis: Essays in Ancient Greek Political Philosophy, co-edited with Fred D. Miller, Jr. (Cambridge, 2007), A Companion to Aristotle’s Politics (Blackwell, 1991), and most recently – at the age of 94 – Principles and Praxis in Ancient Greek Philosophy: Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy in Honor of Fred D. Miller, Jr., co-edited with Christopher Shields (Springer, 2024). In 2013, he published an intellectual memoir “A Life in the Academy” in the book Reason and Analysis in Ancient Greek Philosophy: Essays in Honor of David Keyt, co-edited by George Anagnostopoulos and Fred D. Miller Jr. (Springer, 2013). This collection of essays came from “Keytfest” – a stellar collection of academic presentations by David’s colleagues and past students -- held at the University of Washington, Seattle in 2007, in honor of Davd’s fifty years of teaching.
David’s memoir essay notes that he was given Spinoza’s Ethics as a high school graduation present. His parents inscribed the book with this anticipatory hope: “We predict David will also become a great philosopher in his day.” Indeed. As the co-editors of Reason and Analysis note, David is “widely acknowledged as a master in applying philosophical analysis to the interpretation and criticism of ancient texts and the demonstration of their relevance to modern philosophical issues.” (1) He will be long remembered for his philosophical works, his legendary teaching, and his friendly and supportive collegiality.