Annette Baier

Annette Baier was born in 1929 in New Zealand and educated at the University of Otago and Somerville College, Oxford. She spent the bulk of her academic career at the University of Pittsburgh, where she became a leading figure in moral philosophy.

Her major works include 'A Progress of Sentiments: Reflections on Hume's Treatise' (1991), 'Moral Prejudices: Essays on Ethics' (1994), and 'The Cautious Jealous Virtue: Hume on Justice' (2010). She is best known for her contributions to the ethics of care and her reinterpretation of David Hume's moral philosophy, emphasizing the role of trust and the emotions.

Baier's work was widely respected within academic philosophy, particularly among feminist ethicists and Hume scholars. She received the American Philosophical Association's Book Prize for 'A Progress of Sentiments' and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her ideas on trust and care have been influential in applied ethics.

Baier's writings continue to be studied in courses on moral philosophy and feminist ethics. Her integration of Humean sentiment with contemporary care ethics opened new avenues for thinking about moral psychology and the foundations of trust. She remains a touchstone for philosophers exploring the intersection of reason and emotion.