Richard W. Miller

Richard “Dick” W. Miller, PhD, Wyn and William Y. Hutchinson Professor in Ethics and Public Life (Emeritus) at Cornell University (Philosophy department), passed away on 6/9/23 at the age of 77. He is survived by his loving family: Peggy Dieter, his wife of 41 years, and his daughter, Laura Miller.

From early in life, Dick was vastly intellectually curious and dedicated to the pursuit of social justice. He combined these two passions in his PhD in Philosophy from Harvard University. As a young man, he was active in the civil rights movement, the opposition to the Vietnam War, and efforts to combat class/income inequality. Dick believed in philosophical dialogue as a conduit to social justice and insisted that philosophical inquiry address the lives and concerns of everyday people from all cultures and class positions.

Dick was a philosophy professor at Cornell from 1973 until his retirement in 2019. He was the Wyn and William Y. Hutchinson Director of Ethics and Public Life at Cornell University from 2011 to 2019, organizing colloquia on such vital topics as the politics and ethics of the rise of China, racial and class inequality in America, and the ethics of globalization and American imperialism. Among his many publications, he is the author of 5 books: Globalizing Justice: The Ethics of Poverty and Power, Moral Differences: Truth, Justice and Conscience in a World of Conflict, Fact and Method: Explanation, Confirmation and Reality in the Natural and the Social Sciences, Analyzing Marx: Morality, Power and History, and Equality, Democracy and National Sovereignty: Reconciling East and West (Chinese title: 平等，民主，与国家主权：东西方的和解). At the time of his death, he was completing final edits on a new book titled, The Ethics of Social Democracy: Justice Meets Capitalism. Written with uncommon fervor in what he did not realize were his final days, the book reflects the political principles to which he felt deeply committed. His work brought him great joy, including through advising graduate students, teaching, and organizing colloquia.

Dick had other great loves, including a deep appreciation for visual art, music, film, theater, and food. Going to a museum or a show with him was an incredible treat. He was attuned to subtleties that he would describe with such feeling that would enliven the experience in a new and sometimes unexpected way. He was an avid and courageous traveler, beginning as a young man in college when he would spend summer break backpacking across Europe, wanting to experience the life and culture of everyday people and not merely content to sample pre-packaged tourist experiences (he sincerely loathed a guided tour). Later in life, he brought this intrepid spirit to his travels with his family as they went to remote parts of Norway, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nova Scotia, and later to Russia and China for guest lectures on the ethics of climate change and economic and political inequality.

Dick deeply loved his wife and daughter. A staunch atheist who was raised Jewish, he was nonetheless a great lover of Christmas with the family because he relished giving gifts, cooking a delicious meal to share, and festive kitsch of all kinds “. Alongside the beautiful art and antiques that decorate their living room, there now resides year-round an electric dancing Christmas moose. He delighted in sharing these joys with his family and they delighted in him. He leaves a hole in their lives that can never be filled, yet his memory lives on within them and in his work, both of which were of utmost importance to him.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 17th at Bangs Funeral Home, 209 W. Green St., Ithaca from 1 pm, calling hour will be from noon to 1pm before the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Doctors without Borders.