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Kathleen Dean Moore

キャスリーン・ディーン・ムーア

Kyasurīn Dīn Mūa

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
null （Berea, Ohio, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Berea, Ohio (birth and childhood) → Corvallis, Oregon (longtime residence) → Small cabin in Southeast Alaska (summer writing retreat)

Career

Occupations
philosopher, writer, environmental activist, university professor
Active Years
1969-
Affiliations
Oregon State University (former faculty, Department of Philosophy), Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature, and the Written Word (co-founder, former director), Orion Society (board member), Island Institute (board member)
Influenced By
Rachel Carson, Viola Cordova (colleague, philosopher)
Influenced
Scholars and students in environmental ethics and nature writing

Education

College of Wooster
Philosophy and French (B.A.)
Degree: B.A.
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: United States
University of Colorado Boulder
Philosophy (M.A., Ph.D.)
Degree: M.A., Ph.D.
Country: United States
Studied in the Fleming School of Law program

Awards

Honorary Doctorate (State University of New York - ESF)
2015
Organization: SUNY-ESF (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)
Result: 授与
Senior Fellow (Spring Creek Project)
2014
Organization: Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature, and the Written Word
Result: 指名／認定
Visiting Scholar (Center for Humans and Nature)
2013
Organization: Center for Humans and Nature
Result: 招聘
University Writer Laureate (Oregon State University)
2007
Organization: Oregon State University
Result: 授与
Oregon Book Award (for Pine Island Paradox)
2007
Work: Pine Island Paradox
Organization: Oregon Book Awards committee
Result: 受賞
Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
2003
Organization: Oregon State University
Result: 叙任
Distinguished Alumna (Berea High School Hall of Fame)
2001
Organization: Berea High School Hall of Fame
Result: 受賞
Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award (for Holdfast)
2000
Work: Holdfast
Organization: Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award
Result: 受賞
Pacific NW Booksellers Association Book Award (for Riverwalking)
1996
Work: Riverwalking
Organization: Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
Result: 受賞
Oregon Book Award Finalist (for Riverwalking)
1996
Work: Riverwalking
Organization: Oregon Book Awards committee
Result: ファイナリスト
Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book (for Pardons)
1990
Work: Pardons: Justice, Mercy, and the Public Interest
Organization: Choice Magazine
Result: 選定

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Pardons: Justice, Mercy, and the Public Interest

1989 academic (philosophy of law)

A philosophical examination of the justification for pardons, mercy, and the public interest, developed from Moore's dissertation work.

justicepardonspublic interest

Riverwalking: Reflections on Moving Water

1995 creative nonfiction / nature writing

An essay collection reflecting on moving water, exploring relationships with nature, memory, and ethics.

shorelinesenvironmental ethicsmemory

Holdfast: At Home in the Natural World

1999 nature writing / essays

Personal and philosophical essays about coastal and island landscapes and the knowledge of living at the edge of water.

coastal landscapessense of placehuman-nature relationship
Translations
  • Petit Traité de Philosophie Naturelle (French translation)

Pine Island Paradox

2004 nature writing / essays

Essays on island and coastal ecosystems and their cultural values, notable for moving between the local and the universal.

islandsecosystemscultural values

Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature

2010 nature writing / essays

An essay collection on the solace and healing that nature provides, blending personal experience with philosophical reflection.

solacehealingnature experience

Great Tide Rising: Toward Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change

2016 environmental ethics / climate change essays

A book addressing the moral urgency of climate change and calling for ethical action by individuals and societies.

climate ethicsintergenerational responsibilityethics of action

Piano Tide

2016 fiction (novel)

A novel set in an Alaskan tidewater town about a community's defense of their freshwater.

communitywater resourceslocal resistance

Earth's Wild Music: Celebrating and Defending the Songs of the Natural World

2021 nature writing / environmental essays

Essays celebrating and defending the 'music' of the natural world, addressing biodiversity and ecosystem values.

biodiversityvoices of natureconservation

Bearing Witness: The Human Rights Case Against Fracking and Climate Change

2021 environmental ethics / nonfiction

Examines the human-rights implications of fracking and climate change, compiling testimony and ethical arguments.

human rightsfrackingclimate change

Take Heart: Encouragement for Earth’s Weary Lovers

2022 essays / encouragement

A short collection of encouraging essays for those weary from caring for the Earth.

hopesustainabilitymoral support

Bibliography

  • Pardons: Justice, Mercy, and the Public Interest (1989)
  • Patterns of Inductive Reasoning: Developing Critical Thinking Skills (1986)
  • Reasoning and Writing (1993)
  • Riverwalking: Reflections on Moving Water (1995)
  • Holdfast: At Home in the Natural World (1999)
  • Pine Island Paradox (2004)
  • Piano Tide (2016)
  • Great Tide Rising (2016)
  • Earth's Wild Music (2021)
  • Bearing Witness (2021)
  • Take Heart (2022)

Translations of Works

  • Holdfast — French translation: Petit Traité de Philosophie Naturelle

Style & Themes

Literary Style
narrative philosophy blending personal experience with philosophical reflectionprose that fuses nature writing with environmental ethics
Recurring Motifs
coastlines and shorelinesmoving waterthe osprey metaphor (diving into experience)intergenerational responsibility

Legacy

Moore is recognized for blending philosophical reflection with personal experience in nature writing and environmental ethics. She has been an influential voice on the moral dimensions of climate change for both academia and the public.

Academic Societies

  • Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature, and the Written Word

Archives

  • Oregon State University related collections

Quotes

  • I describe my work metaphorically as the 'art of the osprey,' which repeatedly dives from the world of sunshine and color into the murkier shadows below the surface of experience.
    Source: ISLE — conversation/interview (The Philosopher as Osprey) (2009)

Trivia

  • She left the university in 2013 to devote full time to writing and speaking about the ethics of climate change.
  • Her children are active in environmental fields and academia (Erin E. Moore and Jonathan W. Moore).
  • Spends summers writing from a small cabin in Southeast Alaska.