I first encountered David Dick in individual on the Society for Enterprise Ethics assembly in Boston in 2019. He seemed dapper in his attribute black swimsuit and black t-shirt, and in Q&A he traded witticisms effortlessly with the outgoing Society president. He was charming and had an nearly daunting social presence. I bear in mind considering how fantastic it should be to be on this man’s circle.
So I rely myself as fortunate that Dave and I turned mates in the course of the pandemic. We met as soon as per week on zoom to speak about social ontology and the ethics of cash, but in addition life on the whole. Our conferences have been conferences at first, after which an excuse to speak and to chuckle. We had name backs that ran for months and in jokes that solely an equally shut reader of Simmel would ever perceive. One among these operating jokes was that Dave insisted that I ought to ship him a remedy invoice every week, as a result of I all the time gave the impression to be making an attempt to hint some view of his about a reimbursement to a metaethical dedication he’d defended in his thesis. However actually our conferences have been remedy for me. Throughout the pandemic, I struggled to remain optimistic about human nature, and to be motivated to proceed doing philosophy. I may need given up that wrestle if it weren’t for the kindness and wit and enthusiasm I noticed modeled each week by David.
One of many outcomes of our common conferences was a joint challenge on social ontology that we have been very a lot nonetheless engaged on on the time of his loss of life. We first offered this work in August this 12 months, at a gathering of the Worldwide Social Ontology Society (ISOS) in Vienna. One among Dave’s philosophical virtues was that he centered on articulating concepts in as easy a means as potential. I’d put collectively a handout that had a number of pages and sophisticated definitions. He diplomatically returned to me with a single web page handout shorn of superfluous element, setting out simply the three principal concepts of the piece as clearly as potential. I see this class in his revealed work, in addition to his evocative means with phrases. (To wit: I’m fairly certain I recall him describing the expertise of watching Hamilton as “being like a Greek watching a play in regards to the gods, but in addition like discovering out one of many minor X-Males has probably the most wondrous backstory.”)
Our presentation went effectively, however the time we spent collectively exploring Vienna was superb. Dave confessed that Vienna, or Wien because it’s spelled in every single place within the metropolis, introduced an adolescent humorousness in him. He reveled in the truth that you possibly can purchase might sausage from sidewalk distributors after midnight. We went to dinner with others from the convention and I marveled at how selflessly he carried out himself in dialog with others, all the time focusing consideration on them and never himself–although everybody might inform that he was the very best storyteller on the desk. At a dinner the place I had his firm all to myself, I heard a few of these tales–tales in regards to the father he liked a lot; about his expertise of Utah’s Mormon neighborhood; of getting married at Banff as poor grad college students, with the authorized minimal variety of individuals and stealing in to the gazebo to keep away from paying the charge–every story equally joyous about life.
I bear in mind Dave being very enthusiastic about what the 12 months forward would deliver. He needed to return to ISOS when it met in Stockholm. He was very enthusiastic about spending time in ancestral territory in Scotland. He needed to show an undergraduate course on philosophical pictures of heaven. He instructed me a few of his concepts in regards to the latter. He was significantly interested by whether or not there can be any moral constraints in a spot by which there have been apparently no materials constraints. He puzzled: what he would most love to do in heaven can be to satisfy Queen, however what if Queen didn’t wish to meet him? (Yesterday, his expensive good friend Tim gave the one acceptable rejoinder: Freddie Mercury can be fortunate to hang around with him.)
These plans have been placed on maintain in early October when Dave heard that his mom was sick. Dave had not seen a lot of her in the course of the pandemic, since he was so cautious about touring earlier than it was protected for her that he accomplish that. However he instantly left for Utah. I might see the stress in his messages. We have been supposed to satisfy once more in New Orleans in early November to current our paper. Dave canceled on the final minute, saying that he was just too busy. I offered our work on 4 November and texted him to inform him that issues had went effectively, however often because he was so clearly missed by others on the convention. He responded with a textual content I’ll always remember: “every little thing is type of on hearth proper now,” he mentioned, “and I can’t sustain.” I can truly think about Dave saying these phrases, it’s the type of factor he may say, mirthfully. But this additionally sounded so not like him. I had a horrible feeling about it that I couldn’t shake for some time. Wanting again, it was clearly as a result of I knew that Dave was such a consummate gentleman that he would by no means have even recommended that there was purpose for another person to fret about him. On the time I recommended some issues I’d do to assist, however form as ever, Dave declined assist: “every little thing is transferring so quick right here I in all probability received’t have time to speak [sic] you up on it however thanks a lot.” Maybe you possibly can think about how a lot I remorse that I didn’t do greater than sending him a fucking textual content message. It was the final I spoke to him.
Dave had been resulting from be part of Graham Hubbs and myself and a few others at a dinner in New Orleans on a kind of days. That night time we defined that Dave wouldn’t be capable to make it, and one in all our friends requested about him. I recall Graham saying “Dave might be the nicest individual in philosophy.” Amen. By no means a more true phrase has been mentioned about somebody. Our self-discipline, like different educational disciplines, can really feel exclusionary, belittling, exploitative, and pointless. However you’d by no means really feel any of these issues round Dave. He was precisely the form of individual we want round right here.
After I heard the information on Sunday I refused to consider it. It’s nonetheless solely dawning on me how a lot I’ll miss him. I grieve for his family and friends, his colleagues and college students, who will really feel his absence much more keenly. The career has misplaced out on his genius and heat. And I grieve for myself as a result of there have been so many extra issues we nonetheless needed to talk about, and so many extra of his tales I needed to listen to.
