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For the Radiohead song, see Optimistic. "Positive thinking" redirects here. For songs of that title, see Positive Thinking.

Optimism is a mental attitude that interprets situations and events as being best (optimized), meaning that in some way for factors that may not be fully comprehended, the present moment is in an optimum state. The concept is typically extended to include the attitude of hope for future conditions unfolding as optimal as well. The more broad concept of optimism is the understanding that all of nature, past, present and future, operates by laws of optimization along the lines of Hamilton's principle of optimization in the realm of physics. This understanding, although criticized by counter views such as pessimism, idealism and realism, leads to a state of mind that believes everything is as it should be, and that the future will be as well. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass with water at the halfway point, where the optimist is said to see the glass as half full, but the pessimist sees the glass as half empty.

The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense of the word, ultimately means one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation. This is usually referred to in psychology as dispositional optimism.

Researchers sometimes operationalize the term differently depending on their research, however. For example, Martin Seligman and his fellow researchers define it in terms of explanatory style, which is based on the way one explains life events. As for any trait characteristic, there are several ways to evaluate optimism, such as various forms of the Life Orientation Test, for the original definition of optimism, or the Attributional Style Questionnaire designed to test optimism in terms of explanatory style.

While the heritability of optimism is largely debatable, most researchers agree that it seems to be a biological trait to some small degree, but it is also thought that optimism has more to do with environmental factors, making it a largely learned trait.^[1] It has also been suggested that optimism could appear to be a hereditary trait because it is actually a manifestation of combined traits that are mostly heritable, like intelligence, temperament and alcoholism.^[2] Optimism may also be linked to health.^[3]

Explanatory style[link]

Explanatory style is different, though related to, the more traditional, narrower definition of optimism. This broader concept is based on the theory that optimism and pessimism are drawn from the particular way people explain events. There are three dimensions within typical explanations, which include internal versus external, stable versus unstable, and global versus specific. Optimistic justifications toward negative experiences are attributed to factors outside the self (external), are not likely to occur consistently (unstable), and are limited specific life domains (specific). Positive experiences would be optimistically labeled as the opposite: internal, stable, global.^[4]

There is much debate about the relationship between explanatory style and optimism. Some researchers argue that there is not much difference at all; optimism is just the lay term for what scientists call explanatory style.^[5] Others argue that explanatory style is exclusive to its concept and should not be interchangeable with optimism.^[6][7]

It is generally thought that, though they should not be used interchangeably, dispositional optimism and explanatory style are at least marginally related. Ultimately, the problem is simply that more research must be done to either define a "bridge" or further differentiate between these concepts.^[4]

Philosophy[link]

Philosophers often link the concept of optimism with the name of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who held that we live in the best of all possible worlds, or that God created a physical universe that applies the laws of physics, which Voltaire famously mocked in his satirical novel Candide. A modern manifestation of this approach is exemplified in artist Rina Krevat through her abstract art and tenor singing. The philosophical pessimism of William Godwin demonstrated perhaps even more optimism than Leibniz. He hoped that society would eventually reach the state where calm reason would replace all violence and force, that mind could eventually make matter subservient to it, and that intelligence could discover the secret of immortality. Much of this philosophy is exemplified in the Houyhnhnms of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

Panglossianism[link]

The term "panglossianism" describes baseless optimism of the sort exemplified by the beliefs of Pangloss from Voltaire's Candide, which are the opposite of his fellow traveller Martin's pessimism and emphasis on free will. The phrase "panglossian pessimism" has been used to describe the pessimistic position that, since this is the best of all possible worlds, it is impossible for anything to get any better.

The panglossian paradigm is a term coined by Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin to refer to the notion that everything has specifically adapted to suit specific purposes. Instead, they argue, accidents and exaptation (the use of old features for new purposes) play an important role in the process of evolution. Some other scientists however argue the implication that many (or most) adaptionists are panglossians is a straw man.

Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time Michael Shermer relates Frank J. Tipler to Voltaire's character Pangloss to show how clever people deceive themselves. Shermer explores the psychology of scholars and business men who give up their careers in their pursuit to broadcast their paranormal beliefs. In his last chapter, added to the revised version, Shermer explains that "smart people" can be more susceptible to believing in weird things.

Optimalism[link]

Optimalism, as defined by Nicholas Rescher, holds that this universe exists because it is better than the alternatives.^[8] While this philosophy does not exclude the possibility of a deity, it also doesn't require one, and is compatible with atheism.^[9] The positive psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar uses optimalism to mean willingness to accept failure while remaining confident that success will follow, a positive attitude he contrasts with negative perfectionism.^[10] Perfectionism can be defined as a persistent compulsive drive toward unattainable goals and valuation based solely in terms of accomplishment.^[11] Perfectionists reject the realities and constraints of human ability. They cannot accept failures, delaying any ambitious and productive behavior in fear of failure again. ^[12] This neuroticism can even lead to clinical depression and low productivity.^[13] As an alternative to negative perfectionism Ben-Shahar suggests the adoption of optimalism. Optimalism allows for failure in pursuit of a goal, and expects that while the trend of activity will tend towards the positive it is not necessary to always succeed while striving to attain goals. This basis in reality prevents the optimalist from being overwhelmed in the face of failure.^[10] Optimalists accept failures and also learn from them, which encourages further pursuit of acievement.^[14] Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar believes that Optimalists and Perfectionists show distinct different motives. Optimalists tend to have more intrinsic, inward desires, with a motivation to learn. While perfectionists are highly motivated by a need to consistently prove themselves worthy.^[10]

Assessment[link]

Life Orientation Test (LOT)

Designed by Scheier and Carver (1985), this is one of the more popular tests of optimism and pessimism. There are eight measurements (and an additional four filler items), with four positively ("In uncertain times, I usually expect the best") and four negatively ("If something can go wrong for me, it will") worded items.^[15] The LOT has been revised twice--once by the original creators (LOT-R) and also by Chang, Maydeu-Olivares, and D'Zurilla as the Extended Life Orientation Test (ELOT). All three are most commonly used because they are based on dispositional optimism, which simply means expecting positive outcomes.^[16]

Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ)

This questionnaire created by Peterson et al. (1982) is based on the explanatory style definition of optimism. It lists six positive and negative events ("you have been looking for a job unsuccessfully for some time"), and asks the respondents to record a possible cause for the event and rate the internality, stability, and globality of the event.^[17] An optimistic person is one who perceives good things happening to them as internal, stable, and global. There are several modified versions of the ASQ including the Expanded Attributional Style Questionnaire (EASQ), the Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanations (CAVE), and the ASQ designed for testing the optimism for children.^[16]

Health[link]

Research has emerged showing the relationships between several psychological constructs and health. Optimism is one of these concepts and has been shown to explain between 5–10% of the variation in the likelihood of developing some health conditions (correlation coefficients between .20 and .30),^[18] notably including cardiovascular disease,^{[19][20][21][22][23]} stroke,^[24] depression,^[25][26] and cancer.^[21][27][28]

Furthermore, optimists have been shown to live healthier lifestyles which may influence disease. For example, optimists smoke less, are more physically active, consume more fruit, vegetables and whole-grain bread, and consume more moderate amounts of alcohol.^[29]

The relationship between optimism and health has also been studied with regards to physical symptoms, coping strategies and negative affect for those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and fibromyalgia. It has been found that among individuals with these diseases, optimists are not more likely than pessimists to report pain alleviation due to coping strategies, despite differences in psychological well-being between the two groups.^[30] A meta-analysis has confirmed the assumption that optimism is related to psychological well-being: “Put simply, optimists emerge from difficult circumstances with less distress than do pessimists.”^[31] Furthermore, the correlation appears to be attributable to coping style: “That is, optimists seem intent on facing problems head-on, taking active and constructive steps to solve their problems; pessimists are more likely to abandon their effort to attain their goals.”^[31]

It should be noted that research to date has demonstrated that optimists are less likely to have certain diseases or develop certain diseases over time. By comparison, research has not yet been able to demonstrate the ability to change an individual's level of optimism through psychological intervention, and thereby alter the course of disease or likelihood for development of disease.

See also[link]

Wikiversity has learning materials about Positive thinking

• Affirmations (New Age)
• Agathism
• Mood (psychology)
• Optimism bias
• Pessimism
• Self-efficacy
• Philosophy
• Philosophy of happiness
• Positive psychology
• Principle of least action - optimization as a fundamental principle of the physical world

References[link]

v t e Emotions (list) Emotions Adoration Affection Agony Awe Amusement Anger Anguish Annoyance Anxiety Arousal Attraction Caring Compassion Contempt Contentment Defeat Dejection Depression Desire Despair Disappointment Disgust Ecstasy Embarrassment Empathy Enthrallment Enthusiasm Envy Euphoria Excitement Fear Frustration Grief Guilt Happiness Hatred Homesickness Hope Horror Hostility Humiliation Hysteria Infatuation Insecurity Insult Interest Irritation Isolation Jealousy Loneliness Longing Love Lust Melancholy Neglect Optimism Panic Passion Pity Pleasure Pride Rage Regret Rejection Remorse Resentment Sadness Sentimentality Shame Shock Sorrow Spite Suffering Surprise Sympathy Tenseness Thrill Revenge Wonder Worry Diligence Zest Worldviews Compatibilism Existentialism Fatalism Incompatibilism Metaphysics Nihilism Optimism Pessimism Reclusion Social justice Weltschmerz Source: Parrott, W. (2001), Emotions in Social Psychology, Psychology Press, Philadelphia.

Martin Seligman
Born	(1942-08-12) August 12, 1942 (age 69) Albany, New York
Nationality	American
Education	Ph.D. in Psychology at University of Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Princeton University
Occupation	Psychologist, educator, and author
Employer	University of Pennsylvania
Organization	Department of Psychology
Title	Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology

Martin E. P. "Marty" Seligman (born August 12, 1942) is an American psychologist, educator, and author of self-help books. His theory of learned helplessness is popular among scientific and clinical psychologists.^[1]

According to Haggbloom et al.'s study of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, Seligman was the 13th most frequently cited psychologist in introductory psychology textbooks throughout the century, as well as the 31st most eminent overall.^[2]

Seligman is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Psychology. He was previously the Director of the Clinical Training Program in the department. He is the director of the university's Positive Psychology Center.^[3] Seligman was elected President of the American Psychological Association for 1998.^[4] He is the founding editor-in-chief of Prevention and Treatment Magazine (the APA electronic journal) and is on the board of advisers of Parents magazine.

Seligman has written about positive psychology topics such as The Optimistic Child, Child's Play, Learned Optimism, Authentic Happiness, and Flourish.

Early life and education[link]

Seligman was born in Albany, New York. He earned a bachelors degree at Princeton University in 1964, graduating Summa Cum Laude (Philosophy). He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology at University of Pennsylvania in 1967.

Learned helplessness[link]

Seligman's foundational experiments and theory of "learned helplessness" began at University of Pennsylvania in 1967, as an extension of his interest in depression. Quite by accident, Seligman and colleagues discovered that the conditioning of dogs led to outcomes that were opposite to the predictions of B.F. Skinner's behaviorism, then a leading psychological theory.^[5]

Seligman developed the theory further, finding learned helplessness to be a psychological condition in which a human being or an animal has learned to act or behave helplessly in a particular situation — usually after experiencing some inability to avoid an adverse situation — even when it actually has the power to change its unpleasant or even harmful circumstance. Seligman saw a similarity with severely depressed patients, and argued that clinical depression and related mental illnesses result in part from a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a situation.^[6] In later years, alongside Abramson, Seligman reformulated his theory of learned helplessness to include attributional style.^[7]

According to author Jane Mayer,^[8] Seligman gave a talk at the Navy SERE school in San Diego in 2002, which he said was a three-hour talk on helping US soldiers to resist torture, based on his understanding of learned helplessness.

Positive psychology[link]

Seligman worked with Christopher Peterson to create what they describe as a 'positive' counterpart to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). While the DSM focuses on what can go wrong, Character Strengths and Virtues is designed to look at what can go right. In their research they looked across cultures and across millennia to attempt to distill a manageable list of virtues that have been highly valued from ancient China and India, through Greece and Rome, to contemporary Western cultures. Their list includes six character strengths: wisdom/knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each of these has perhaps a half-dozen sub-entries; for instance, temperance includes forgiveness, humility, prudence, and self-regulation.^[9] One of their key points is that they do not believe that there is a hierarchy for the six virtues; no one is more fundamental than or a precursor to the others.

Quite recently at the time of typing (July 2011), Martin Seligman has encouraged David Cameron to look into well-being as well as financial wealth in ways of assessing the prosperity of a nation. On July 6, 2011, he appeared on Newsnight and was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman about his ideas and his interest in the concept of well-being.

While presenting "Flourish" to the Royal Society of Arts,^[10] Seligman articulated an account of the good life, which consisted of five elements:

• P(ositive) emotion - tunable by writing down, every day at bed time, three things that went well, and why
• E(ngagement) - tunable by preferentially using one's highest strengths to perform the tasks which one would perform anyway
• R(elationships) - tunable, but not in a way that can be explained briefly; listen to timestamp 15:12 and following of the audio
• M(eaning) - belonging to and serving something bigger than one's self
• A(chievement) - determination is known to count for more than IQ

MAPP program[link]

The Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program at the University of Pennsylvania was established under the leadership of Seligman as the first educational initiative of the Positive Psychology Center in 2003.

On "conversion/reparative" therapy for changing homosexuality[link]

In 1966, Martin E.P. Seligman reported that, while using aversion therapy to try to change gay men's sexual orientation to heterosexual was controversial, in some instances, the process "worked surprisingly well", with up to 50% of men subjected to such therapy not acting on their homosexual urges. These results produced what Seligman described as "a great burst of enthusiasm about changing homosexuality that swept over the therapeutic community" after the results were reported in 1966. However, Seligman notes that the findings were later demonstrated to be flawed: most of the men treated with aversion therapy who did in fact stop homosexual behavior were actually bisexual. Among men with an exclusive or near-exclusive homosexual orientation, aversion therapy was far less successful.^[11]

Personal life[link]

According to an interview for his electronic journal Prevention and Treatment Seligman said magenta was his favorite color because of the amazing calming effects of the color on the human body. He plays bridge, and finished second in one of the three major North American pair championships, the Blue Ribbon Pairs (1998), and has won over 50 regional championships^[12] He has seven children, four grandchildren and three dogs.

Seligman was inspired by the work of the psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck at the University of Pennsylvania in refining his own cognitive techniques and exercises.^[13]

Publications[link]

• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1975). Helplessness: On Depression, Development, and Death. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-0752-7 (Paperback reprint edition, W.H. Freeman, 1992, ISBN 0-7167-2328-X)
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1991). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-671-01911-2 (Paperback reprint edition, Penguin Books, 1998; reissue edition, Free Press, 1998)
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1993). What You Can Change and What You Can't: The Complete Guide to Successful Self-Improvement. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-679-41024-4 (Paperback reprint edition, Ballantine Books, 1995, ISBN 0-449-90971-9
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1996). The Optimistic Child: Proven Program to Safeguard Children from Depression & Build Lifelong Resilience. New York: Houghton Mifflin. (Paperback edition, Harper Paperbacks, 1996, ISBN 0-06-097709-4
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (2002). Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-2297-0 (Paperback edition, Free Press, 2004, ISBN 0-7432-2298-9)
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (2004). '"Can Happiness be Taught?". Daedalus, Spring 2004.
• Peterson, Christopher, & Seligman, Martin E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9870195167016
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-1-4391-9075-3

References[link]

University of Pennsylvania. (2012). Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Program. Retrieved April 8, 2012, from sas.upenn.edu: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/graduate/mapp

External links[link]

• Authentic Happiness, Seligman's homepage at University of Pennsylvania
• "Eudaemonia, the Good Life: A Talk with Martin Seligman", an article wherein Seligman speaks extensively on the topic of eudaemonia
• "The Positive Psychology Center", a website devoted to positive psychology. Martin Seligman is director of the Positive Psychology Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
• Program description for Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree established by Seligman
• Martin E. P. Seligman's curriculum vitae at the University of Pennsylvania
• TED Talk: Why is psychology good?
• [1], University of Pennsylvania's page on MAPP program

Jason Silva (born February 6, 1982 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan-American television personality, filmmaker, gonzo journalist and founding producer/host for Current TV, the Emmy winning youth-oriented lifestyle cable network started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, now the fastest growing network in TV history. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

Silva earned a degree in film and philosophy from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He, along with Max Lugavere, produced and starred in a video documentary/performance piece entitled "Textures of Selfhood"—an experimental film about hedonism and spirituality. "The Party-Philosophers" and "Intellectual Hedonists", aptly named by Angeleno Magazine, borrowed the name for the film from the Hedonistic Imperative, a website promoting the end to suffering by philosopher David Pearce.

Current TV[link]

"Max and Jason" have become a prolific hosting and producing duo on Current TV, with widely ranging stories- from illegal immigration and counterfeit IDs, to profiling a brave new singer songwriter right before signing a publishing deal, to a taped philosophical sit-down with director Darren Aronofsky. Their story on counterfeit IDs earned them a featured appearance and interview on Anderson Cooper 360. Their franchise, "Max and Jason Style" has become one of the hallmarks of their work on Current TV, denoting coverage of an issue in a voice that is distinctly unique- often juxtaposing telegenic images and a heightened filmmaking aesthetic with bold and intelligent content. The results are a compelling product, which as The Internet Examiner put it, is proof that "Current is getting it just right."

[edit] The Immortalists and Turning into Gods

Silva produced and directed a short documentary film titled The Immortalists ^[1], profiling scientists and philosophers, including Ray Kurzweil, about the philosophical implications of tinkering with our biology, merging with our technologies and overcoming our biological limitations. Inspired by the Stewart Brand quote: "We are as gods and might as well get good at it," the film is a love letter to science and technology. The film generated buzz among transhumanist circles for its impassioned exploration of the subject matter, and Silva has further explored Singularity studies by interviewing American filmmaker Barry Ptolemy on his recent film Transcendent Man ^[2].

Silva is expanding The Immortalists into a feature length documentary titled Turning into Gods.^{[3] [4]}

Pangea Day[link]

Jason Silva (along with best friend and Current TV co-host Max Lugavere, Lisa Ling, and June Arunga) hosted the first annual Pangea Day on May 10, 2008, a live 4-hour program of film, music, and speakers broadcast worldwide to over 150 countries and with a projected audience of 500 million people. The goal of the event, created by filmmaker Jehane Noujaim and TED curator Chris Anderson, was to unite the people of the world through the power of film.

Other[link]

They have been invited to guest host hit shows on E! and WE: Women's Entertainment^{[citation needed]}, were featured in a full-page LA Times article about Current, and have co-hosted a panel on short-form film making at the 2006 South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.

The press has dubbed Max and Jason "Gore's Boys" (944 Magazine, November 2007) and "the stars of Current TV" (Nylon Guys, Fall 2007).

They were invited to lead panel discussions on Citizen Journalism at The Paley Center for Media in both New York and Los Angeles.

The duo were featured in the Fall 2008 Gap campaign worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

1. ^ "At just 28, Jason Silva is thinking about DEATH - a lot". Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/1651840/at-just-28-jason-silva-is-thinking-about-death-a-lot/. 
2. ^ "The 'Transcendent' Singularity is Near". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-silva/the-transcendent-singular_b_831889.html. 
3. ^ Saenz, Aaron (June 2, 2010). "‘Turning Into Gods’ – Jason Silva’s Documentary on the Singularity". Singularity Hub. http://singularityhub.com/2010/06/02/turning-into-gods-jason-silvas-documentary-on-the-singularity-trailer/. Retrieved 7 April 2011. 
4. ^ "Jason Silva Muses on Humans Turning Into Gods". Forbes. http://blogs.forbes.com/alexknapp/2011/08/05/jason-silva-muses-on-humans-turning-into-gods/. 

External links[link]

• thisisjasonsilva.com - Official Web Site.
• maxandjason.org.
• Official Web Site at Current.com.
• Pangea Day announcement of Max and Jason's involvement.

Simon Critchley

Born	27 February 1960 Hertfordshire[1], England
Era	21st-century philosophy
Region	Western Philosophy
School	Continental Philosophy
Main interests	Politics, Ethics, Post-Religion, Aesthetics,
Influenced by Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, Lacan, Derrida, Laclau, Nancy, Badiou

Simon Critchley (born 27 February 1960 in Hertfordshire) is an English philosopher currently teaching at The New School. He works in continental philosophy. Critchley argues that philosophy commences in disappointment, either religious or political. These two axes may be said largely to inform his published work: religious disappointment raises the question of meaning and has to, as he sees it, deal with the problem of nihilism; political disappointment provokes the question of justice and raises the need for a coherent ethics.

Academic Career[link]

Critchley studied philosophy at the University of Essex (BA 1985, PhD 1988,) and at the University of Nice (M.Phil. 1987). Among his teachers were Robert Bernasconi, Jay Bernstein, Frank Cioffi, Dominique Janicaud and Onora O'Neill. His M.Phil. thesis dealt with the problem of the overcoming of metaphysics in Heidegger and Carnap; his Ph.D. dissertation was on the ethics of deconstruction in Emmanuel Levinas and Derrida.

Following a period as a university fellow at Cardiff University, Critchley was appointed a lecturer in philosophy at Essex in 1989, becoming reader in philosophy in 1995, and professor in 1999. He was director of the university's Centre for Theoretical Studies and collaborated closely with Ernesto Laclau. Critchley was president of the British Society for Phenomenology from 1994-99. In 1997 and 2001 he held a Humboldt Research Fellowship in philosophy at Frankfurt. Between 1998-2004, he was a programme director of the College international de philosophie, Paris. In 2006-7 he was a scholar at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Since 2004 Critchley has been professor of philosophy at the New School for Social Research. He held the position of chair in philosophy at the New School from 2008-2011, and became the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy in 2011. He has held visiting professorships at numerous universities, including Sydney (2000), Notre Dame (2002), Cardozo Law School (2005) and at the University of Oslo (2006). In 2009 he was appointed a part-time professor of philosophy at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, where he runs a summer school and teaches in philosophy and liberal arts. Critchley is also a professor of philosophy at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.

Critchley is "chief philosopher" of the International Necronautical Society, a semi-fictitious avant-garde network that surfaces through proclamations, "denunciations" and live events. He has collaborated closely with the novelist Tom McCarthy on projects including the society's Declaration on Inauthenticity^[1] and their joint publications on Joyce^[2] and Shakespeare.^[3] At an event at the Tate Britain art gallery two lecturers purporting to be Critchley and McCarthy were, in mischievous keeping with the inauthentic theme, played by actors.^[4] The Declaration of Inauthenticity was presented at the opening of the Athens Biennale by Greek actors in June 2009. Critchley also frequently collaborates with his wife, the American psychoanalyst Jamieson Webster. Critchley has also worked with the French artist Philippe Parreno and the British conceptual artist Liam Gillick.

Works[link]

The Ethics of Deconstruction (1992)[link]

Critchley’s first book was The Ethics of Deconstruction: Derrida and Levinas (Blackwell, 1992), which became an acclaimed source on deconstruction and was the first book to argue for an ethical dimension to deconstruction. A second expanded edition was published in 1999 by Edinburgh University Press. Rather than being concerned with deconstruction in terms of the contradictions inherent in any text — an approach typical of the early Derrida and those in literary criticism aiming to extract a critical method for an application to literature — Critchley concerns himself with the philosophical context necessary for an understanding of the ethics of deconstructive reading. Far from being some sort of value-free nihilism or textual free-play, Critchley showed the ethical impetus that was driving Derrida’s work. His claim was that Derrida’s understanding of ethics has to be understood in relation to his engagement with the work of Levinas and the book attempts to lay out the details of their philosophical confrontation.

Very Little... Almost Nothing (1997)[link]

Critchley’s second book, Very Little... Almost Nothing (Routledge, 1997) develops in a very different direction and shows his concern with the relation between philosophy and literature and the problem of nihilism. A second edition with additional material and a new preface was published in 2004. At the centre of Very Little... Almost Nothing is the problem of the meaning of life and what sense can be made of this problem in the absence of any religious belief. By way of a series of ‘lectures’ on Maurice Blanchot, Samuel Beckett, Stanley Cavell and romanticism, Critchley argues for a conception of meaninglessness understood as the achievement of the everyday, a view which, he thinks, redeems us from the need for religious redemption.

Ethics-Politics-Subjectivity (1999)[link]

Ethics-Politics-Subjectivity (Verso, 1999) is a collection of essays that includes his debate with Richard Rorty, as well as series of essays on Derrida, Levinas, Jacques Lacan, Jean-Luc Nancy. These essays also show a pronounced political and psychoanalytic turn to Critchley’s thinking. A new edition of the book appeared in Verso’s Radical Thinkers series in 2009.

Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (2001)[link]

Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2001), is both an introduction to that tradition of thinking and an essay in meta-philosophy, which lays out the way in which Critchley sees the role of theory and reflection. It has been translated into nine languages. In the book, Critchley addresses the perennial question of the two major Western philosophical traditions, that of analytical and continental philosophy. Critchley tries to avoid sectarianism, and argues that the professional opposition between analytic and Continental philosophy is something that needs to be transcended. Critchley accepts that there is risk within continental philosophy of obscurantism, just as there is a risk of scientism in much analytic philosophy. But the primary purpose of philosophy is to understand ourselves, our world and, as Hegel puts it, to comprehend one’s time in thought. Critchley offers the example of the ‘will of God’ as the prime example of obscurantism, but within continental philosophy also the ‘drives’ in Sigmund Freud, ‘archetypes’ in Carl Jung, the ‘real’ in Jaques Lacan, ‘power’ in Michel Foucault, ‘différance’ in Jaques Derrida, the ‘trace of God’ in Emmanuel Levinas, and the ‘epochal withdrawal of being in and as history’ in Martin Heidegger. Continental Philosophy has been translated into 9 languages.

On Humour (2002)[link]

Since 2000, Critchley has turned his attention to what he calls ‘impossible objects’: humour, poetry and music. His On Humour (Routledge, 2002) continues the meditation on nihilism begun in Very Little…Almost Nothing; but he continues it in a very different key, analysing the meaning and importance of humour. Critchley argues that humour is an oblique phenomenology of ordinary bringing about a change of situation that exerts a powerful critical function. On Humour has been translated into 10 languages and has exerted considerable influence over debates around the role of humour in contemporary art practice.

Things Merely Are (2005)[link]

In Things Merely Are (Routledge, 2005), Critchley examines the relation between philosophy and poetry through an extended meditation on the poetry of Wallace Stevens. Critchley’s particular focus in Stevens’ very late poems, which attempt to describe what poetry can and cannot say about a subject-independent reality.^[5] Critchley is referenced in the commentary on Stevens's poem Another Weeping Woman. The book also contains Critchley’s influential essay on Terence Malick’s The Thin Red Line.

Infinitely Demanding (2007)[link]

Infinitely Demanding (Verso, 2007) is the most systematic overview of Critchley's philosophical position. It combines a meta-ethics based on the concepts of approval and demand with a phenomenology of ethical experience and ethical subjectivity. At the centre of the book is a theory of ethical subjectivity based on the relation to an infinite demand. Critchley extends his analysis into discussions of aesthetics and sublimation and into political theory and practice. Critchley argues for an ethically committed political anarchism. Infinitely Demanding has been translated into 8 languages. The book has led to some heated polemics, notably with Slavoj Žižek (See below, the Critchley-Žižek Debate). “Infinitely Demanding” is the topic of a special issue of the journal Critical Horizons (August 2009).

On Heidegger’s Being and Time (2008)[link]

This volume (Routledge, 2008) combines Reiner Schürmann's lectures at the New School for Social Research on Heidegger’s Being and Time with Critchley’s New School lectures on the relation between Heidegger and Husserl and his own interpretation of Being and Time. Where Critchley argues that we must see Being and Time as a radicalization of Husserlian phenomenology, Reiner Schürmann's proposal is to read Heidegger ‘backward’, arguing that Heidegger’s later work is the key to unraveling Being and Time. Critchley concludes the volume with an extended critique of Heidegger’s concept of authenticity.

The Book of Dead Philosophers (2009)[link]

An extended defense of the idea that to philosophize is to learn how to die, The Book of Dead Philosophers was published by Granta in the UK (2008), Vintage in the US (2009) and Melbourne University Press in Australia (2008). It has been translated into 13 languages. “The Book of Dead Philosophers” was widely reviewed and discussed (see below). It was on The New York Times Best-Seller List in March 2009 and was a top ten bestseller in Greece in Summer 2009. The aim of “The Book of Dead Philosophers” is to examine, defend and refine the ideal of the philosophical death in the context of a culture like ours that is defined by a denial of death. However, the deeper intention of the book is to challenge and revise the way we think about the history of philosophy. More specifically, the book tries to conceive of the history of philosophy as a history of philosophers and thereby rethink the way in which approach the relation between the activity of philosophy and an individual life, between conceptuality and biography.

Der Katechismus des Bürgers (2008)[link]

This small volume (Diaphanes, Berlin, 2008) on the problem of politics and religion in Rousseau was first published in German.

How to Stop Living and Start Worrying (2010)[link]

How to Stop Living and Start Worrying (Polity, 2010), a sort of anti-self-help book, is a series of conversations between Critchley and Carl Cederström from 2009 and 2010, originally based on Swedish television series. The conversations are intended to provide an overview and introduction to Critchley's life and work. They are based around a series topics: life, death, love, humour and authenticity. The volume also contains a discussion with Tom McCarthy.

Impossible Objects (2011)[link]

A collection of interviews with Critchley over the past 10 years, edited by Carl Cederström and Todd Kesselman, published by Polity Press in 2011.

Recent Reviews:

• The Guardian Steven Poole, Et cetera: non-fiction reviews
• We Make Meaning Review for PopMatters.com

International Necronautical Society: Offizielle Mitteilungen (2011)[link]

The International Society Necronautical has been nourished by the faded avant-garde movements of the last century, whether artistic, cultural or political. This volume gathers a selection of official communications from the INS from 1999 to 2010, the first time are available in German; meticulously documenting their manifestos, reports, statements, meetings, and trials from 1999 onwards. “We are sometimes asked: How do I join? How does one become a necronaut? Wrong question. As Paragraph Three, lines five and six of the INS’s First Manifesto make clear, willfully pilfering and re-using the tired language of deconstruction, ‘We are all necronauts, always, already.’ Our mission is to disseminate that fact: not as conceptual knowledge but rather in the way that Molly Bloom fills her husband’s mouth with seedcake, then repeats that moment, with a silent Yes.” An English version of the book is forthcoming from Sternberg Press.

The Faith of the Faithless (2012)[link]

From the paradox of politics and religion in Rousseau to the political stakes of the return to St. Paul in the work of Heidegger, Taubes, Agamben and Badiou, via explorations of politics and original sin in the work of Carl Schmitt and John Gray, Critchley examines whether there can be a faith of the faithless, a belief for unbelievers. Expanding on his debate with Slavoj Žižek, Critchley concludes with a meditation on the question of violence and the limits of non-violence. The Faith of the Faithless - Experiments in Political Theology will be published by Verso in 2012.

Recent Reviews:

• Los Angeles Review of Books
• Publisher's Weekly.
• PoliticalTheology.com
• The Guardian
• BookForum
• New Statesman
• The Oxonian Review
• Times Higher Education

The Hamlet Doctrine (forthcoming)[link]

Critchley is currently finishing a book on Hamlet with Jamieson Webster that will deal with the play in the light of various 'outsider' interpretations, such as those of Carl Schmitt, Walter Benjamin, Schelling, Hegel, Nietzsche, Freud, and Lacan.

Work in Progress (forthcoming)[link]

Critchley is currently also completing an, as of yet, unnamed short book of conversations with Philippe Parreno.

[edit] Recent Press for The Faith of the Faithless

• Cornell West on The Faith of the Faithless at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
• Tea with Simon Critchley: The Separation of Church and State Is Impossible The New Yorker reviews the The Faith of the Faithless.

The Stone[link]

The Stone is an opinion series in The New York Times, moderated by Simon Critchley, that features the writings of contemporary philosophers on issues both timely and timeless - art, war, ethics, gender, popular culture and more. Recent contributors include J.M. Bernstein, Arthur Danto, Nancy Sherman, Peter Singer, Natasha Lennard, Nancy Bauer, Todd May, Martha Nussbaum, Peter Railton, Galen Strawson, Feisal G. Mohamed, William Egginton, Andy Martin, Gary Gutting, and Critchley.^[6] Other articles by Critchley in The New York Times also include Beyond the Sea, How to Make It in the Afterlife, and Coin of Praise.

On May 21st, 2011 The New York Times brought back The Stone, due to its widespread popularity. In the first new entry since January, Critchley discusses the aims of the column and the role of philosophy in contemporary culture (The Stone Returns). Critchley's recent contributions to the The Stone include Let Be: An Answer to Hamlet’s Question, a collaboration with Jamieson Webster that traces the logic of action in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Euro Blind, a discussion of Sophocles and the so-called “tragedy" of the European debt crisis. More recently, Critchley contributed a three-part essay on the work of Philip K. Dick entitled Philip K. Dick, Sci-Fi Philosopher

[edit] The Guardian Series on Heidegger's Being and Time

In an essay series^[7] for the British newspaper The Guardian, Critchley explores Martin Heidegger’s magnum opus, Being and Time, first published in 1927. The importance of Heidegger’s work, Crtichley explains, is not limited to philosophy, but has poured over into such diverse areas as architecture, contemporary art, social and political theory, psychotherapy, psychiatry and theology. Yet, because of his political commitment to National Socialism in 1933, when he assumed the position of Rector of Freiburg University in south-western Germany, Heidegger continues to arouse controversy, polemic and much heated misunderstanding: How could arguably the greatest philosopher of the 20th century also have been a Nazi? What does his political commitment to National Socialism, however long or short it lasted, suggest about the nature of philosophy and its risks and dangers when stepping into the political realm? Critchley argues that such political questions cannot be properly confronted without coming to terms with Being and Time. The Guardian Series is a concise attempt to understand and feel the persuasive power of this seminal text.

Recent Interviews[link]

• Pursuing Impossible Objects An interview by John Douglas Millar for Monthly Review.
• On Philosophers, Violence, Humour & Tragedy An interview by Qalandar Bux Memon and Asif Akhtar for Naked Punch.
• Tragedy, Rage, Grief and Being an Arsehole An interview by Dave Ronalds for Parallax.
• Exhausted States Concluding their three-part exchange for Mute, artist Alfredo Jaar and philosopher Simon Critchley contemplate how to keep on, artistically and politically, in the face of the spectacular violence that washed-up liberal democracy meets with daily indifference. This exchange was convened by David Morris.
• Creating Interstices: On Ethics, Politics, and Curatorship Simon Critchley discusses aesthetics, nihilism, and ethical fidelity with Miguel Á. Hernández-Navarro in Manifesta Journal, V.12
• Resisting the Meaningless Simon Critchley talks power, politics, and the problem of nihilism with Tom Cutterham for Cherwell.org
• Geluk wordt overschat "Happiness is Overrated": Simon Critchley speaks with Peter Giesen for De Volkskrant in the Netherlands.
• The Last Word: Critchley on Cattelan An interview with Critchley on Maurizio Cattelan’s retrospective at the Guggenheim.
• My Daily Read for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
• An Interview on The Faith of the Faithless with Stir to Action.
• The Ethics of Discomfort John Douglas Millar on art and politics according to Simon Critchley for Art Monthly.
• "월가 시위는 아나키즘의 가능성 보여준 사례" An interview with the Korean newspaper Hankookilbo.

Live Talks and Interviews[link]

Video[link]

• Symposium: We, Ourselves & Us Simon Critchley speaks in conjunction with the exhibition "If We Can’t Get It Together" at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, Canada (January 23, 2009).
• Ten Years of Terror Edited by Simon Critchley and Brad Evans. This movie was screened at the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York in September 2011.
• Simon Critchley offers his personal reflections on Ten Years of Terror for the histories of violence project.
• Barack Obama and the American Void Critchley's lecture "Barack Obama and the American Void" is Fora.TV's most-watched political program for 2009.
• The Diavlog of Dead Philosophers: Bloggingheads.tv Percontations Simon Critchley and David Shields discuss topics from the empty existential core of Los Angeles to the proximity of death and humor.
• Video To Philosophize is to Learn How to Die at Fora.tv
• James Corby interviews Simon Critchley by video link during the Style in Theory / Styling Theory conference in Malta in November 2009

Audio[link]

• The Attractions of Mystical Anarchism Tony Curzon Price interviews Simon Critchley for Opendemocracy.net
• Fictional Force: How the Many are Governed by the Few Simon Critchley discusses Political Theology with Richard Bernstein at the New School for Social Research.
• The Heights of Ecstasy A Halloween Sermon on Self-Deification, Cabinet Magazine & Slought Foundation, 31 October 2008.
• Free Thoughts: BBC Radio Series Simon Critchley talking about being 'The First Free Thinker'.
• Scenes from a Marriage: Have Art and Theory Drifted Apart? Frieze Art Fair Podcast: A conversation with Simon Critchley, Robert Storr, Barbara Bloom, Jörg Heiser.
• The Enemy of All: Piracy and the Law of Nations Daniel Heller-Roazen and Simon Critchley discuss Heller-Roazen's latest book at Après-Coup Psychoanalytic Association.
• Against the Grain Simon Critchley talks about neo-anarchism, Obama, and political mobilizations with guest host Andrej Grubacic on KPFA 94.1 FM.
• Slought Foundation Award for Creative Thought Simon Critchley and filmmaker Astra Taylor will share the 2010 Slought Foundation Award for Creative Thought. The award ceremony will be followed by a screening of Taylor's unreleased conversation with Critchley, as well as a public conversation between the recipients on the function of public intellectuals in American culture and politics.
• On Faith Simon Critchley discusses faith for the 'Elucidations' podcast (Department of Philosophy, University of Chicago).
• The Beyond Belief Series An Interview by JK Fowler for the The Mantle.

The Critchley-Žižek Debate[link]

The time-line or chronology of the Critchley-Žižek debate is usefully outlined by Critchley in a footnote to his Naked Punch article "Violent Thoughts on Slavoj Žižek".

1. Žižek’s piece, ‘Resistance is Surrender’ (London Review of Books, 15 November 2007), which criticized the (at that time) recent appearance of Critchley's Infinitely Demanding.
2. 'Resistance is Surrender' in turn occasioned some responses from readers including T.J. Clark and David Graeber, to which Žižek replied by accusing Graeber and Critchley of ‘the highest form of corruption’ (LRB, 24 January 2008).
3. Žižek’s critique was then republished in Harper's Magazine (February 2008), to which Critchley replied in a later issue (May 2008).
4. An extended version of Žižek's critique of Critchley's position appeared in Žižek's book In Defense of Lost Causes (Verso, London and New York, 2008), pp. 337–350. Critchley says he will "respond to Zizek’s criticisms of my ethical position and interpretation of Lacan on a separate occasion".

Bibliography of the Critchley-Žižek debate

1. Critchley: Infinitely Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, Politics of Resistance (Verso, London & New York, 2007; ISBN 1-84467-121-6).
2. Žižek: Resistance Is Surrender in the London Review of Books.
3. T.J. Clark's and David Graeber's Responses in the London Review of Books.
4. Zizek's Response a letter in the London Review of Books.
5. Žižek's In Defense of Lost Causes (Verso, London & New York, 2008), pp. 337–350.
6. Critchley: Thoughts on Slavoj Zizek in Naked Punch'
7. The Violent State Article by Robert Young on the Critchley-Žižek Debate in Naked Punch
8. "Crypto-Schmittianism" This article by Simon Critchley, published in 2005, offers a useful preamble to Critchley's position{s}

Trivia[link]

• Press Releases of the Dead Throughout October 2009 media types around the country will receive cardboard tombstones cutouts to celebrate the release of The Book of Dead Philosophers.
• The Dead Philosophers' Limbo The Dead Philosophers' Limbo is Susie Burpee's twelve-hour dance to the life of ideas and the death of philosophers as told by the living philosopher Simon Critchley in his book, The Book of Dead Philosophers.
• Askmelissa.com How do you applaud the launch of Simon Critchley’s Book of Dead Philosophers? With a séance, of course! At least that’s how the Accompanied Literary Society chose to celebrate at an out-of-this-world party at Bobo.
• Under the name of Critchley & Simmons, Critchley has produced a CD called Humiliation (2004) and a series of short films. This project was launched in an event at the Sydney Opera House in August 2004.
• Critchley gave the name The Bleach Boys to a Hitchin based band previously known as The Fur Coughs.
• Critchley himself played guitar in a number of North Hertfordshire bands including The Good Blokes and Social Class 5.
• Critchley is a devotee of football, and has since a young child been a keen supporter of Liverpool FC. He has taken this life-long love into his philosophical work, giving a lecture in Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, in May 2009 on French football star Zinedine Zidane, ”A puppet or a god? On Zidane”, based on Douglas Gordon and Phillipe Parreno's film Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait from 2006.
• in 2011, Critchley co-directed (with Brad Evans) Ten Years of Terror in recognition of the ten year anniversary of September 11th. Ten Years of Terror examines the theoretical, empirical, and aesthetic dimensions of violence and the ensuing state of terror it produces. This series of reflections by key canonical thinkers such as Saskia Sassen, Michael Hardt, Noam Chomsky, Zygmunt Bauman, and others closely examines the enactment and ramifications of violence in our modern times. The film was shown at the Guggenheim in September 2011.
• The Last Word, Seven-Hour Finale: Critchley will co-host the closing of the exhibit Maurizio Cattelan: All at the Guggenheim Museum in New York on Saturday January 21st, 2012.

Miscellaneous Links[link]

• Critchley's webpage at The New School for Social Research
• Simon Critchley Faculty page at European Graduate School (Biography, bibliography, photos and video lectures)
• What Is Normal? Critchley recently published an article for Adbusters which discusses the power of the political imagination and the ongoing world-wide conflicts with state power.
• Irish artist Clodagh Emoe recently made a film of Critchley's Mystical Anarchism, which will be shown in New York and elsewhere in 2012.
• Readings A list of books on the mind for The Believer Mag,

Selected bibliography[link]

• (1991) Re-Reading Levinas, ed. with Robert Bernasconi, Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
• (1992) The Ethics of Deconstruction: Derrida and Levinas, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, (2nd edition, 1999)
• (1996) Deconstructive Subjectivities, ed. with Peter Dews, State University of New York Press, Ithaca, NY.
• (1996) Emmanuel Levinas: Basic Philosophical Writings, ed. with Adriaan T. Peperzak and Robert Bernasconi, Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
• (1997) Very Little... Almost Nothing: Death, Philosophy, Literature, Routledge, London & New York (2nd Edition, 2004).
• (1998) A Companion to Continental Philosophy, ed. with William J. Schroeder, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
• (1999) Ethics-Politics-Subjectivity: Essays on Derrida, Levinas, and Contemporary French Thought, Verso, London (Reissued, 2007).
• (2001) Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
• (2002) The Cambridge Companion to Levinas, ed. with Robert Bernasconi, Cambridge University Press.
• (2002) On Humour, Routledge, London.
• (2004) Laclau, A Critical Reader, ed. with Oliver Marchart, Routledge, London.
• (2005) On the Human Condition, with Dominique Janicaud & Eileen Brennan, Routledge, London.
• (2007) Infinitely Demanding. Ethics of Commitment, Politics of Resistance, Verso, London & New York.
• (2008) The Book of Dead Philosophers, Granta Books, London; Vintage, New York; Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
• (2008) On Heidegger’s ‘Being and Time’, with Reiner Schürmann, edited by Steven Levine, Routledge, London and New York.
• (2008) Der Katechismus des Bürgers, Diaphanes Verlag, Berlin.
• (2008) Democracy and Disappointment: On the Politics of Resistance (DVD) - Alain Badiou and Simon Critchley in Conversation, Slought Books, Philadelphia.
• (2010) How to Stop Living and Start Worrying, Polity Press.
• (2011) Impossible Objects, Polity Press.
• (2011) International Necronautical Society: Offizielle Mitteilungen
• (2012) The Faith of the Faithless, Verso.

Critchley has also edited the following book series:

• Thinking the Political (Routledge)
• Blackwell Readings in Continental Philosophy (Blackwell)
• Thinking in Action (Routledge)
• How to Read... (Granta, London, and W.W. Norton, New York)

References[link]

See also[link]

• necronauts

Michael J. Fox OC
Michael J. Fox in April 2011
Born	Michael Andrew Fox (1961-06-09) June 9, 1961 (age 51) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Occupation	Actor, author, producer, activist, voice-over artist
Years active	1973–present
Spouse	Tracy Pollan (1988–present; 4 children)

Michael J. Fox, OC (born Michael Andrew Fox; June 9, 1961) is a Canadian American actor, author, celebrity, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990); Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties (1982–1989) for which he won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award; and Mike Flaherty from Spin City (1996–2000), for which he won an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998. Fox semi-retired from acting in 2000 as the symptoms of his disease worsened. He has since become an activist for research toward finding a cure. This led him to create the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and on March 5, 2010, Sweden's Karolinska Institutet gave him a honoris causa doctorate for his work in advocating a cure for Parkinson's disease.^[1]

Since 2000 Fox has mainly worked as a voice-over actor in films such as Stuart Little and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and taken guest TV roles such as in Boston Legal, The Good Wife, Scrubs, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Rescue Me. He has also released three books, Lucky Man: A Memoir (2002); Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (2009); and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned (2010). He was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Canada on May 27, 2011, for his outreach and fundraising work.^[2]

Early life[link]

Michael Andrew Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the son of Phyllis (née Piper), an actress and payroll clerk; and William Fox, a police officer and member of the Canadian Forces.^[3][4] Fox's family lived in various cities and towns across Canada because of his father's career.^[3] The family finally moved to the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, British Columbia, when his father retired in 1971. His father died on January 6, 1990 from a heart attack.^[5] Fox attended Burnaby Central Secondary School, and now has a theatre named after him in Burnaby South Secondary.^[6]

Fox starred in the Canadian television series Leo and Me at the age of fifteen, and in 1979, moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career at the age of eighteen. Shortly after his marriage, he decided to move back to Vancouver, BC.^[3] Fox is one of four members of the Leo and Me cast and crew who eventually developed Parkinson's disease in mid-life, an unusually high number that led to some investigation as to whether an environmental factor may have played a role.^[7][8][9]

Fox was discovered by producer Ronald Shedlo and made his American television debut in the television movie Letters from Frank, credited under the name "Michael Fox". He intended to continue to use the name, but when he registered with the Screen Actors Guild, which does not allow duplicate registration names to avoid credit ambiguities, he discovered that Michael Fox, a veteran character actor, was already registered under the name.^[3] As he explained in his autobiography, Lucky Man: A Memoir, and in interviews, he needed to come up with a different name. He did not like the sound of "Andrew" or "Andy" Fox, so he decided to adopt a new middle initial and settled on "J", as an homage to actor Michael J. Pollard.^[5]

Acting career[link]

Early career[link]

Michael J. Fox with Tracy Pollan at the 40th Emmy Awards^[10] in August 1988 shortly after they were married

Fox's first feature film roles were in Midnight Madness (1980) and Class of 1984 (1982), credited in both as Michael Fox. Shortly afterward, he began playing "Young Republican" Alex P. Keaton in the show Family Ties which aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. Fox received the role only after Matthew Broderick was unavailable.^[11] Family Ties had been sold to the television network using the pitch "hip parents, square kids,"^[11] with the parents originally intended to be the main characters. However, the positive reaction to Fox's performance led to his character's becoming the focus of the show following the fourth episode.^[11] At its peak, the audience for Family Ties drew one-third of America's households every week.^[3] Fox won three Emmy awards for Family Ties in 1986, 1987 and 1988 respectively.^[12] He also won a Golden Globe Award in 1989.^[13]

Brandon Tartikoff, one of the show's producers, felt that Fox was too short in relation to the actors playing his parents, and tried to have him replaced. Tartikoff reportedly said that "this is not the kind of face you'll ever find on a lunch-box". After his later successes, Fox presented Tartikoff with a custom-made lunch-box with the inscription "To Brandon, this is for you to put your crow in. Love and Kisses, Michael J. Fox". Tartikoff kept the lunch-box in his office for the rest of his NBC career.^[14]

While filming Family Ties, Fox met his future wife, Tracy Pollan, when she portrayed his girlfriend, Ellen.^[3] When Fox left the TV series Spin City, his final episodes made numerous allusions to Family Ties: Michael Gross (who played Alex's father Steven) portrays Mike Flaherty's (Fox's) therapist,^[15] and there is a reference to an off-screen character named "Mallory".^[16] Also, when Flaherty becomes an environmental lobbyist in Washington D.C., he meets a conservative senator from Ohio named Alex P. Keaton, and in one episode Meredith Baxter played Mike's mother.

[edit] Back to the Future trilogy

Michael J. Fox at the 40th Emmy Awards, August 1988.

Back to the Future tells the story of Marty McFly (Fox), a teenager who is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955. He meets his parents in high school, accidentally attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents to fall in love, while finding a way to return to 1985. Robert Zemeckis, the director, originally wanted Fox to play Marty but Gary David Goldberg the creator of Family Ties, which Fox was working on at the time, refused to allow Zemeckis to even approach Fox as he felt that as Meredith Baxter was on maternity leave at the time, Fox's character Alex Keaton was needed to carry the show in her absence. Eric Stoltz was cast and was already filming Back to the Future, but Zemeckis felt that Stoltz was not giving the right type of performance for the humor involved.^[17] Zemeckis quickly replaced Stoltz with Fox whose schedule was now more open with the return of Meredith Baxter. During filming, Fox would rehearse for Family Ties from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, then rush to the Back to the Future set where he would rehearse and shoot until 2:30 a.m.^[3] This schedule lasted for two full months.^[3] Back to the Future was both a commercial and critical success. The film spent 8 consecutive weekends as the number-one grossing movie at the US box office in 1985, and eventually earned a worldwide total of $381.11 million.^[18] Variety applauded the performances, arguing Fox and his co-star Christopher Lloyd imbued Marty and Doc Brown's friendship with a quality reminiscent of King Arthur and Merlin.^[19] Two sequels, Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III, were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively.

Mid-career[link]

Fox in September 1987

During and immediately after the Back to the Future trilogy, Fox starred in Teen Wolf (1985), Light of Day (1987), The Secret of My Success (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988) and Casualties of War (1989).

In The Secret of My Success, Fox played a recent graduate from Kansas State University who moves to New York City where he has to deal with the downs and ups of the business world. The film was successful at the box office, taking $110 million worldwide.^[20] Roger Ebert in The Chicago Sun Times wrote; "Fox provides a fairly desperate center for the film. It could not have been much fun for him to follow the movie's arbitrary shifts of mood, from sitcom to slapstick, from sex farce to boardroom brawls."^[21]

In Bright Lights, Big City Fox played a fact-checker for a New York magazine, who spends his nights partying with alcohol and drugs. The film received mixed reviews, with Hal Hinson in The Washington Post criticizing Fox by claiming that "he was the wrong actor for the job".^[22] Meanwhile Roger Ebert praised the actor's performance: "Fox is very good in the central role (he has a long drunken monologue that is the best thing he has ever done in a movie)".^[23] During the shooting of Bright Lights, Big City, Michael was reunited with his on-screen girlfriend Tracy Pollan from Family Ties.

Fox then starred in Casualties of War, a war drama about the Vietnam War, alongside Sean Penn. Casualties of War was not a box office hit, but Fox, playing a Private serving in Vietnam, received good reviews for his performance. Don Willmott on film critic’s website wrote; "Fox, only one year beyond his Family Ties sitcom silliness, rises to the challenges of acting as the film's moral voice and sharing scenes with the always intimidating Penn."^[24]

In 1991, he starred in Doc Hollywood, a romantic comedy about a talented medical doctor who decides to become a plastic surgeon. While relocating from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, California, he winds up as a doctor in a small southern town. Michael Caton-Jones, from Time Out, described Fox in the film as "at his frenetic best".^[25] The Hard Way was also released in 1991, with Fox playing an undercover actor learning from police officer James Woods. Between 1992 and 1996, he continued making several films, such as For Love or Money (1993), Life With Mikey (1993) and Greedy (1994). Fox then played small supporting roles in political drama The American President (1995) and comedy Mars Attacks! (1996).^[3]

His last major film role was in The Frighteners (1996). The Frighteners tells the story of Frank Bannister (Fox), an architect who develops psychic abilities allowing him to see, hear, and communicate with ghosts. After losing his wife, he uses his new abilities by cheating customers out of money for his "ghost hunting" business. However, a mass murderer comes back from Hell, prompting Frank to investigate the supernatural presence. Fox's performance received critical praise, Kenneth Turan in The Los Angeles Times wrote; "The film's actors are equally pleasing. Both Fox, in his most successful starring role in some time, and Alvarado, who looks rather like Andie MacDowell here, have no difficulty getting into the manic spirit of things."^[26]

Fox has also done voice-over work providing the voice of Stuart Little in the Stuart Little movie and its sequel, both of which were based on the popular book by E. B. White.^[27] He also voiced the American Bulldog Chance in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and its sequel Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco, as well as Milo Thatch in Atlantis: The Lost Empire.^[27]

[edit] Spin City and later career

The hand prints of Michael J. Fox in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Spin City ran from 1996 to 2002 on American television network channel ABC. The show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, originally starring Fox as Mike Flaherty, a Fordham Law graduate serving as the Deputy Mayor of New York.^[3] Fox won an Emmy award for Spin City in 2000,^[12] three Golden Globe Awards in 1998, 1999 and 2000^[13] and two Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1999 and 2000.^[28] During the third season of Spin City, Fox made the announcement to the cast and crew of the show that he had Parkinson's Disease. During the fourth season, he announced his retirement from the show to focus on spending more time with his family.^[29] He announced that he planned to continue to act and would make guest appearances on Spin City (he made three more appearances on the show during the final season). After leaving the show, he was replaced by Charlie Sheen, who portrayed the character Charlie Crawford.^[30] Altogether, 145 episodes were made. Fox also served as an executive producer during his time on the show, alongside co-creators Bill Lawrence and Gary David Goldberg.^[30]

In 2004, Fox guest starred in two episodes of the comedy-drama Scrubs as Dr. Kevin Casey, a surgeon with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.^[31] The series was created by Spin City creator Bill Lawrence.^[31] In 2006, he appeared in four episodes of Boston Legal as a lung cancer patient.^[32] The producers brought him back in a recurring role for Season three, beginning with the season premiere. Fox was nominated for an Emmy Award for best guest appearance.^[12] In 2009, he appeared in five episodes of the television series Rescue Me which earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.^[12] Since 2000 Fox has released three books, Lucky Man: A Memoir (2002), Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (2009) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned (2010). In 2010, Fox returned to television as a guest star in the US drama The Good Wife and has since appeared in four more episodes as rival attorney, Louis Canning. ^[33]

He made an appearance at the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Vancouver, Canada, and delivered comedic monologues, along with William Shatner and Catherine O'Hara, in the "I am Canadian" part of the show.^[34]

Along with Tatjana Patitz, Fox appears in the 2011 Carl Zeiss AG calendar, photographed by Bryan Adams in New York City in the summer of 2010.^[35]

Despite a soundalike voicing his character of Marty McFly in the 2011 Back to the Future episodic adventure game, Fox lent his likeness to the in-game version of McFly alongside Christopher Lloyd. Fox makes a special guest appearance in the final episode of the series as an elder version of Marty, as well as his great-grandfather Willie McFly.^[36][37]

Personal life[link]

The Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby

Fox married actress Tracy Pollan on July 16, 1988, at West Mountain Inn in Arlington, Vermont. The couple have four children: Sam Michael (born May 30, 1989), twins Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances (born February 15, 1995), and Esmé Annabelle (born November 3, 2001). Fox holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship.^[38] On February 28, 2010, Fox provided a light-hearted segment during the 2010 Winter Olympics' closing ceremony in Vancouver, Canada, wherein he expressed how proud he is to be Canadian.^[39] On June 4, 2010, the City of Burnaby, British Columbia honoured Fox by granting him the Freedom of the City.^[6]

Illness and activism[link]

Fox started displaying symptoms of early-onset Parkinson's disease in 1990 while shooting the movie Doc Hollywood, although he was not properly diagnosed until the next year.^[29] After his diagnosis, Fox began drinking more heavily than in the past; however, he sought help and stopped drinking altogether.^[40] In 1998, he decided to go public with his condition, and since then he has been a strong advocate of Parkinson's disease research.^[3] His foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, was created to help advance every promising research path to curing Parkinson's disease, including embryonic stem cell studies.^[3]

Fox manages the symptoms of his Parkinson's disease with the drug Sinemet,^[41] and he also had a thalamotomy in 1998.^[42]

His first book, Lucky Man, focused on how, after seven years of unacceptance of the disease, he set up the Michael J Fox Foundation, stopped drinking and began to be an advocate of PD sufferers.^[43]

In Lucky Man, Fox wrote that he did not take his medication prior to his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in 1998;

In an interview with NPR in April 2002,^[41] Fox explained what he does when he becomes symptomatic during an interview;

In 2006, Fox starred in a campaign ad for then-Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill in her 2006 Senate campaign against incumbent Jim Talent, expressing her support for stem cell research. In the ad, he visibly showed the effects of his Parkinson's medication;

The New York Times called it "one of the most powerful and talked about political advertisements in years" and polls indicated that the commercial had a measurable impact on the way voters voted, in an election that McCaskill won.^[47] His second book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures Of An Incurable Optimist, describes his life between 1999 and 2009, with much of the book centered on how Fox got into campaigning for stem-cell research.^[43] On March 31, 2009, Fox appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Dr. Oz to publicly discuss his condition as well as his book, his family and his prime-time special which aired May 7, 2009 (Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist).^[48]

His work led him to be named one of the 100 people "whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world" in 2007 by Time magazine.^[49] On March 5, 2010, Fox received an honorary doctorate in medicine from Karolinska Institutet for his contributions to research in Parkinson's disease.^[50] He also has received an honorary doctor of laws from the University of British Columbia.^[51]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]