Margaret Gilbert, a philosopher whose groundbreaking theories on social groups help explain relationships between individuals and groups such as companies and governments, has been hired to fill the Abraham I. Melden Chair in Moral Philosophy at UC Irvine.

Gilbert is best known for her 1989 book On Social Facts, which established her as a pioneer in the field of social philosophy. Her theories more recently have been extended to apply to pressing contemporary questions, such as whether all of a nation's citizens can be held responsible for their country's political actions including acts of genocide.

"With her wonderfully original mind, Margaret Gilbert is one of the greatest living scholars of social and moral philosophy," said Nicholas Jolley, professor and chair of the philosophy department. "Gilbert's coming to UCI helps revive a traditional strength in our philosophy program - moral philosophy."

Gilbert's work explaining the complex relationship between an individual and a group encompasses moral and political philosophy, including individual obligations to a group and individual rights within that group. She has explored the issue of collective beliefs, atrocities committed by groups, and group remorse and guilt. Significantly, Gilbert's theories maintain that not every individual within a group can automatically be held responsible for the group's actions, and that it makes sense to say that a group is not merely the sum of its members, but an entity in its own right.

"I am honored to have this endowed chair and am greatly looking forward to continuing to explore such issues as political obligation and collective responsibility," said Gilbert, who is writing a new book about the nature of rights, bringing her theory of groups as "plural subjects" to bear on this much-debated topic.

The foundation of Gilbert's plural subject theory is a special kind of commitment. This is best explained by her simple anecdote about two people walking side by side. If one of them breaks off in another direction but the two of them do not know each other, then there is no problem. But if the two are out on a walk together, they are accountable to each other and one would feel betrayed if the other suddenly walked off in a new direction. Gilbert argues that we can best explain this in terms of a "joint commitment" of the two, which leads to special rights and obligations.

Gilbert's other books include Living Together: Rationality, Sociality and Obligation, Sociality and Responsibility: New Essays in Plural Subject Theory, and most recently A Theory of Political Obligation: Membership, Commitment and the Bonds of Society.

Gilbert comes to UCI from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, where she was a professor for 23 years; she has taught at several other academic institutions including Princeton University and Oxford University, where she received her doctorate in philosophy.

The Melden endowed chair was created in 1988 by former philosophy department chair and professor emeritus Abraham Melden, whose specialty was moral philosophy, and his wife, Regula B. Melden. Their gift also provided support for an endowed fellowship, scholarship and lecture series.

As the Abraham I. Melden Chair in Moral Philosophy, Gilbert will earn an annual base salary of $150,000. Additional compensation information is available upon request to the media contact listed on this release.

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