Last update: 31 January 2023

• Owner, Gegensatz Press, since August 12, 1996.

• Attended University of Virginia Rare Book School, Summer 1997.
• M.L.S. with Certificate in Information Systems and Telecommunications Management (1993); Syracuse University School of Information Studies, Syracuse, NY 13244-4100. Program emphasis in automated systems and cataloging; title of internship project: "Cataloging the Landscape Architecture Drawings of Fletcher Steele," directed by Flora M. Nyland, Archivist, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210; grade point average = 3.88 (i.e., ten A, one A-, one B).
• Attended Columbia University Rare Book School, Summer 1988 & 1989.
• Ph.D. in Philosophy (1985); Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010. Dissertation: "Hegel's Philosophy of Religion and its Interpretation by Hermann Hinrichs," directed by Prof. George L. Kline; published as a book: Hegel, Hinrichs, and Schleiermacher on Feeling and Reason in Religion: The Texts of Their 1821-22 Debate. Comprehensive examination fields: Epistemology, Ethics, Hegel, Medieval Philosophy.
• M.A. in Philosophy (1977); Bryn Mawr College. Thesis: "On the Religious Roots of Hegel's Rechtsphilosophie," directed by Prof. George L. Kline; condensed version published as an article: "The Theological Significance of Hegel's Four World-Historical Realms"; abstract in The Owl of Minerva 17, 2 (Spring 1986): 236-237.
• A.B. in Philosophy and Religion magna cum laude with Honors in Philosophy (1974); Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011. Thesis: "The Axiology of Suicide," directed by Prof. C. Douglas McGee; completed 40 courses in four years where only 32 required for degree: 12 High Honors, 21 Honors, 7 Pass.

Publications

680 titles (including 44 peer-reviewed) either in print or published electronically, including 46 books either authored, co-authored, edited, co-edited, or translated, and major articles in International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Journal of the History of Ideas, International Philosophical Quarterly, Internet Reference Services Quarterly, The Modern Schoolman, Clio, The Heythrop Journal, Process Studies, Hegel-Studien, Reports on Philosophy, Auslegung, Journal of the National Medical Association, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage, Journal of Aesthetic Education, and the anthologies The New Hegelians, Existence of God, Metaphors in Modern and Contemporary Philosophy, Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit, Hegel on Tragedy and Comedy, Schopenhauer's Fourfold Root, Tom Petty and Philosophy, and Thomas Szasz: An Appraisal of his Legacy.

General subject areas include philosophy, medical history, military history, cultural or intellectual history, history of science, librarianship, contract bridge, popular culture, and poetry.

Professional Talks

96 presented since 1978, including invited lectures at the University of Antwerp, the University of Iceland, the University of Copenhagen, the Francis C. Wood Institute for the History of Medicine, Columbia University, the University of Richmond, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Cumberland College, Fordham University, and Bowdoin College.

Professional Contacts

• E-mail: gegensatzpress@verizon.net
• Twitter: twitter.com/GegensatzP
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eric-luft-64275710/
• Academia: independent.academia.edu/EricvdLuft
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/GegensatzPress/

• In standard biographical reference works:
  • Listed in Who's Who in America continuously since 54th edition, 2000.
  • Listed in Who's Who in the World from the 17th edition, 2000, to the 27th edition, 2010.
  • Listed in Who's Who in the East, 27th edition, 1999-2000, and 28th edition, 2000-2001.
  • Listed in Dictionary of International Biography, 28th edition, 2000, and 29th edition, 2001.
  • Listed in Who's Who in the 21st Century, 1st edition, 2001.
  • Listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students, 4th edition, 1969-1970.
• From the Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN):
  • Certificate of Appreciation, [2005].
• From the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Institutional Advancement:
  • Award of Distinction, Special Alumni Projects or Programs, 2001 (shared with Carole Novick, Susan Keeter, Barbara Hamilton, and Ronald Young for the Medical Alumni of Upstate Medical University program: "150th Birthday Celebration of Sarah Loguen Fraser, M.D., Class of 1876").
• From the Medical Library Association (MLA):
  • Annual Murray Gottlieb Prize []later renamed Erich Meyerhoff Prize (shared with co-author Godfrey S. Belleh), "for the best unpublished essay on the history of medicine and allied sciences written by a health sciences librarian," 1999.
• At SUNY Upstate Medical University:
  • Certificate of Recognition and Thanks from the Syracuse Medical Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2006.
  • Links2Go Key Resource Award for Library Historical Collections Web page <www.upstate.edu/library/history/index.shtml>, second quarter 2000.
  • President's Award for Excellence in Library Science, 1997.
• At Syracuse University School of Information Studies:
  • U.S. Department of Education Title IIB Library Career Training Program Fellowship, 1992-93.
• From the Edwin Mellen Press:
  • The Adèle Mellen Prize for Excellence in Scholarship, 1985.
• At the Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia:
  • Fellowship, Summer 1999 (title of project: "The Evolution of Attitudes of American Physicians Toward Their Women Patients in the Nineteenth Century").
  • Fellowship, Summer 1984 (worked on medical historiography in the correspondence and related papers of Samuel X Radbill, M.D.).
• At Bryn Mawr College:
  • Whiting Fellowship in the Humanities, 1982-1983.
  • Teaching Assistantship, 1979-1980.
  • Graduate Fellowship, 1978-1979.
• At Bowdoin College:
  • Brown Composition Prize for Excellence in Extemporaneous Writing, 1974.
  • Danforth Graduate Fellowships Honorable Mention, 1974.
  • Surdna Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 1973-74 (worked with Prof. Burke O. Long on the folklore of religious specialism).
  • James Bowdoin Scholarship, 1973.
  • "The Prologue" prize for best student-written one-act play, 1972.

• Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, College of St. Rose, Albany, NY 12203, August to December 2008. Graduate course taught: "Aesthetics."
• Lecturer, Center for Bioethics and Humanities, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, August 2002 - October 2015.
• Curator of Historical Collections, Health Sciences Library, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, September 3, 1987 - August 18, 2006.
• Adult Education Instructor, Manlius Pebble Hill School Community Programs, DeWitt, NY 13214, September to December 2004. Non-credit course taught: "Philosophy of Religion."
• Adjunct Instructor in Philosophy, Religion, and Practical Courses, Humanistic Studies Center, University College, Syracuse University, 1986-1996, November 2002 - April 2004. Non-credit courses taught: "The Old Testament Prophets," "Philosophy of Art," "Philosophy of Religion," "Nineteenth-Century German Philosophy," "Ancient Greek Philosophy," "Medieval Philosophy," "Philosophy of History," "Reformation Theology," "Introduction to World Religions," "Mysticism," "Introduction to Western Philosophy," "Introduction to Western Theology," "Let's Play Bridge."
• Adjunct Instructor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies, Syracuse, NY 13244-4100, November 2001 to January 2003. Co-taught graduate credit course with Kenneth Lavender, Ph.D, M.S.L.S., July 2002: "Management and Organization of Special Collections"; directed graduate independent study, Fall 2002: "The Art and History of the Book."
• Facilities Planning Consultant, St. Lawrence County Historical Association (through the North Country Reference and Research Resources Council), Canton, NY 13617, 1999-2000.
• Rare Books Cataloging Consultant, George Arents Research Library, Syracuse University, 1994-1996.
• Special Project Manuscript Cataloger, F. Franklin Moon Library Archives, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, 1993.
• Associate Editor, The Owl of Minerva: Biannual Journal of the Hegel Society of America, 1986-1996 (Assistant Editor, 1983-1986).
• Lecturer in Philosophy, Villanova University, 1983-1985. Taught undergraduate credit courses: "Logic," "Introduction to Philosophy I [Epistemology and Metaphysics]," "Introduction to Philosophy II [Ethics]."
• Self-employed photographer (specializing in rare books), 1981-1990.
• Historical Collections Assistant, Library, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 1980-1981.

Teaching the "Aesthetics" graduate seminar at the College of Saint Rose in Fall 2008, I received an average evaluation of 3.69 on a 4-point Likert scale.

As a volunteer co-tutor (paired with a physician for each section) since 2001 in the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues in Medicine (ELSIM) component of the Practice of Medicine (POM) course required for all first and second-year medical students at Upstate Medical University, I consistently receive above-average evaluations from students. Sometimes my co-tutor and I are evaluated together, sometimes separately. In 2001-2002 with first-year students, I separately received an average score of 3.3 on a 4-point Likert scale.

On a 5-point Likert scale, my physician partner(s) and I together received the following average scores:

• 4.0 from first-year students in 2001-2002.
• 4.2 from first-year students in Fall 2004.
• 4.55 from first-year students in Spring 2006.
• 4.45 from first-year students in Fall 2006.
• 3.95 from first-year students in Fall 2007.
• 4.15 from first-year students in 2009-2010.
• 5.00 from first-year students in 2010-2011.
• 4.38 from first-year students in 2011-2012.
• 4.78 from first-year students in Fall 2012.

On a 5-point Likert scale, I separately received the following average scores:

• 4.0 from first-year students in Fall 2002.
• 4.4 from second-year students in Spring 2003.
• 4.6 from first-year students in Fall 2003.
• 4.2 from second-year students in Spring 2004.
• 4.4 from second-year students in Spring 2005.
• 4.15 from second-year students in Fall 2005.
• 4.6 from first-year students in 2008-2009.
• 3.97 from first-year students in Fall 2013
• 4.43 from first-year students in Fall 2014.

Teaching one non-credit course per semester at the Humanistic Studies Center of Syracuse University for nine and a half years, I received consistently high evaluations from students. Three times I received an ovation at the last class.

Teaching credit courses at Villanova University for two years, I was among the toughest graders and most demanding taskmasters in the Philosophy Department, but also among the teachers rated highest by the students. The average grade I gave over four semesters was 2.42 on a four-point scale, but the students who responded to the evaluation question, "Regardless of the course and classroom conditions, is this professor a good teacher?" produced the following result: Excellent, 41%; Good, 28%; Average, 21%; Fair, 6%; Poor, 4%.

• Co-Editor, Thomas Szasz: An Appraisal of his Legacy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019).
• Subject Editor for Medicine and Psychology, Dictionary of Early American Philosophers, since November 2005.
• Editor, The Watermark: Newsletter of the Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences, 2004-2008.
• Associate Editor for Germany, Biographical Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Nineteenth Century, 1800-1914 (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001).
• Pronunciation Editor, Biographical Encyclopedia of 20th Century World Leaders (New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1999).
• Founding Editor, Library Synapse [newsletter of the Health Sciences Library, SUNY Upstate Medical University]; Editor, vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1995) - vol. 4, no. 2 (Spring 1998); Co-Editor for Management and Production, vol. 4, no. 3 & 4 (Summer & Fall 1998) - vol. 11 (2005).
• Editor, Schopenhauer: New Essays in Honor of his 200th Birthday (Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 1988).
• Associate Editor, The Owl of Minerva [journal of the Hegel Society of America], 1986-1996; Assistant Editor, 1983-1986.
• Co-Editor, The Bowdoin Thymes [daily newssheet of Bowdoin College], 1972-1973.
• Editor-in-Chief, The Kennetteer [yearbook of Kennett High School, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania], 1970.

• On Campus: SUNY Upstate Medical University:
  • Member, President's Advisory Committee for a Smoke-Free Upstate (ad hoc), August 2004 to August 2006.
  • Representative, Council of the Faculty Organization, November 2002 to September 2005.
  • Member, College of Medicine "Practice of Medicine" Subcommittee on Evaluations, 2002-2004.
  • Member, College of Medicine "Practice of Medicine" Committee, 2002-2004.
  • Chair, Health Sciences Library Digital Collections Planning Committee (ad hoc), 2002-2003.
  • Member, Health Sciences Library Departmental Liaison Committee (ad hoc), June to October 2002.
  • Member, Weiskotten Hall Display Committee (ad hoc), April to December 2002.
  • Volunteer Tutor, College of Medicine, "Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in Medicine" component of two-year course, "Practice of Medicine" (ELSIM/POM), since August 2001.
  • Member, Health Sciences Library Electronic Resources Librarian Search Committee (ad hoc), April to August 2000.
  • Member, President's Awards for Excellence in Teaching Committee, 1999-2004.
  • Member, President's Award for Excellence in Library Science Committee, 1999-2004.
  • Member, Sarah Loguen Fraser Portrait Committee (ad hoc), September 1999 to February 2000.
  • Member, President's Ethics Symposium Planning Committee, June 1999 to August 2006.
  • Member, College of Medicine "Medicine and Society" Curriculum Committee, 1998-2001.
  • Member, Black History Month Planning Committee, December 1989 to August 2006.
• Off Campus:
  • Bowdoin College, Class of 1974, 45th Reunion Planning Committee, 2018-2019.
  • Member, Findlay Prize Committee, Metaphysical Society of America, 2018-2019.
  • Member, Awards Committee, Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences, 2014.
  • Bowdoin College, Class of 1974, 40th Reunion Planning Committee, 2013-2014.
  • Bowdoin College, Class of 1974, 35th Reunion Planning Committee, 2008-2009.
  • External Examiner, Master's Thesis in Popular Culture, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, 2006.
  • Member, Program Committee, Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science, 8th Annual Meeting, 2006.
  • Member, Board of Directors, Interreligious Council of Central New York, 2005-2006.
  • Volunteer, American Library Association (ALA) / Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Committee on Education, Training, and Recruitment for Catalogers (CETRC) mentoring program for rare book catalogers, 2004-2006.
  • Member-at-Large, Steering Committee, Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences, 2003-2005.
  • Member, Subcommittee on Non-Academic Careers, American Philosophical Association, July 2002 to June 2005.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources, 2005-2006.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, Terrorism: Essential Primary Sources, 2005-2006.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, World of Forensic Science, 2004-2005.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security, 2003-2004.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, World of Microbiology and Immunology, 2002-2003.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, World of Earth Science, 2002-2003.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, World of Anatomy and Physiology, 2001-2002.
  • Member, Academic Advisory Board, World of Genetics, 2001-2002.
  • Member, Syracuse University School of Information Studies Accreditation Steering Committee (ad hoc), April 2000 to October 2001.
  • Member, Advisory Council, International Biographical Centre (Cambridge, England), 1999-2004.
  • Listowner, ALHHS-L, listserv of Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences, 1999-2006.
  • Member, Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC) Documentary Heritage Program Committee, October 1997 to October 2000.
  • Volunteer, Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC) Share What You Know (SWYK) program; 1997-2006.
  • Compiler, "From the 'Net," regular column in The Watermark; October 1996 to December 1999.
  • Secretary, The Hegel Society of America, October 1992 to October 1994.
  • Member, Executive Council, The Hegel Society of America, October 1988 to October 1992.
  • Member, Nominating Committee, The Hegel Society of America, 1986.
  • Contributor, Dictionary of American Biography / The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, since May 1992.
  • Curator of the Inscribed List, since 1989.
  • Mitarbeiter [i.e., contributing editor], Hegel-Studien, 1987-1992.
  • Member, Editorial Advisory Board, The New Athenaeum / Das neue Athenaeum, 1986-1989.
  • Manuscript reader for Polish Journal of Aesthetics since December 2021, Family Medicine since January 2013, Editorial Directions since January 2003, Humanities Press since August 1996, McGill-Queen's University Press since January 1987, SUNY Press since October 1983, and University Press of America since January 1982.
  • Referee for Journal of the History of Ideas since April 1984, International Studies in Philosophy since March 1990, Clio since September 1991, and The Journal of Military History since April 2001.
  • President, Bowdoin College Alumni Club of Central New York, December 1985 to April 1992.
  • Evaluator, Manlius Pebble Hill School Science Fair, 2002, 2004-2005, 2007.
  • Judge of individual speaking events in collegiate forensic tournaments of the Great Eastern League, 1985.
  • Dormitory President, Graduate Student Residence, Bryn Mawr College, 1977-1978.
  • House Manager, Psi Upsilon Fraternity, Kappa Chapter, Bowdoin College, 1973-1974.

• Hegel Society of America, since October 1976.
• Metaphysical Society of America, since March 1979.
• American Philosophical Association, December 1981 to February 1992 (regular member) and since July 2000 (life member).
• The Hume Society, since May 1984.
• Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences, since May 1990.
• Friends of the Rare Book School (formerly Friends of the Book Arts Press), since September 1996.
• Friedrich Nietzsche Society, since December 2002.
• Hegel Society of Great Britain, since October 2003.

Certification

• New York State Public Librarian's Professional Certificate No. 16886, issued 31 January 1994.

Miscellaneous Achievements

• American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Life Master (since October 1995), Bronze Life Master (since September 2002).
  Greatest bridge achievements:
  • First, Stratum B Swiss Teams, Rochester (New York) Regional, July 2005.
  • First, Knockout Teams, Bracket B, Niagara Falls (Ontario) Regional, November 2004.
  • First, Knockout Teams, Bracket II, Liverpool (New York) Regional, July 2004.
  • Second, Open Swiss Teams, Cincinnati Regional, May 2004.
  • First, Elmer Jolley Stratum C Swiss Teams, North American Bridge Championships, Philadelphia, March 2003.
  • Second, Flight B Pairs, Springfield (Massachusetts) Regional, September 1993.
  • First, Novice Swiss Teams, North American Bridge Championships, Indianapolis, November 1991.
• Bowdoin College Rifle Team, Varsity Letter (1972).
• Selected acting credits: Kreton in Visit to a Small Planet by Gore Vidal, Cobbler in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Rio Rita in The Hostage by Brendan Behan, Misshapen Gnome in The Tragedy of Young Comely by Catherine Ann Steiner, Town Crier in Thieves' Carnival by Jean Anouilh, Yat in The Wedding by Anton Chekhov; member of the History Upstagers (repertory troupe).

Related Web Pages

• Publications
• Peer-Reviewed Publications
• Books
• Citations by Other Authors
• Professional Talks
• Participation in Academic Conferences and Other Events Pertaining to Philosophy, Religious Studies, History of Medicine, etc.
• Participation in Conferences, Workshops, and Continuing Education Pertaining to Librarianship
• Recreation
• Literary Influences
• Travels
• Selected Standardized Test Scores

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