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L. W. Sumner

b. 1941

Canadian philosopher

Philosopher
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About L. W. Sumner

Born 1941. L. W. Sumner is a Canadian philosopher.

Leonard Wayne Sumner (born 18 May 1941) is a Canadian philosopher notable for his work on normative and applied ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of law. Sumner is University Professor Emeritus of Law and Philosophy at the University of Toronto.

Education and career Educated at the University of Toronto Schools, Sumner received his bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto in 1962 and his doctoral degree from Princeton University in 1965, with a thesis supervised by Stuart Hampshire and Joel Feinberg.

Since 2002, he has been a University Professor, the highest academic honour that the university accords its faculty. In 1990 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2009 he was awarded the Molson Prize by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Philosophical work

Sumner is the author of four books, including Welfare, Happiness and Ethics.

Selected bibliography

Books

Chapters in books

Journal articles

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Important facts

Born
18 May 1941
Birth century
20th century
Occupation
Philosopher
Nationality
Canada
Education
University of Toronto, Princeton University, University of Toronto Schools
Employers
University of Toronto
Also known as
Leonard Wayne Sumner

People in L. W. Sumner's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Portrait of Joel Feinberg
Joel Feinberg
1926 – 2004
Philosopher
 Portrait of Stuart Hampshire
Stuart Hampshire
1914 – 2004
Philosopher

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped L. W. Sumner's

Portrait of Alfred Tarski
Alfred Tarski
1901 – 1983
Mathematician
 Portrait of André Parrot
André Parrot
1901 – 1980
Anthropologist
 Portrait of Ivan Petrovsky
Ivan Petrovsky
1901 – 1973
Mathematician
 Portrait of Jakub Berman
Jakub Berman
1901 – 1984
Politician
 Portrait of Louis Leprince-Ringuet
Louis Leprince-Ringuet
1901 – 2000
Physicist
 Portrait of Mark Oliphant
Mark Oliphant
1901 – 2000
Physicist

Frequently asked questions

Who is L. W. Sumner?

Canadian philosopher

When was L. W. Sumner born?

L. W. Sumner was born on 18 May 1941.

What is L. W. Sumner's occupation?

L. W. Sumner is a philosopher.

What nationality is L. W. Sumner?

L. W. Sumner is Canadian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: L. W. Sumner

· Wikidata: Q6456687

· DBpedia: L. W. Sumner

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). L. W. Sumner. https://biography.guide/l-w-sumner/

MLA: "L. W. Sumner." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/l-w-sumner/.

Chicago: "L. W. Sumner." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/l-w-sumner/.

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