Anita Allen Wins the American Philosophical Association’s Highest Honor for Service to Philosophy

The American Philosophical Association has selected Anita L. Allen, the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, as the 2021 winner of the Philip L. Quinn Prize, the greatest tribute the association has to offer in recognition of service to philosophy and philosophers.

Dominic McIver Lopes, chair of the APA board of officers, said, “Anita Allen once remarked in an interview that she’s ‘committed to helping to improve the discipline.’ Nobody has surpassed her in that regard. She famously challenged us to reflect upon what we have to offer those we’ve excluded and hope to include, and she’s championed inclusion at every opportunity. She pioneered the philosophy of privacy, balancing it against accountability and equity. In awarding her the 2021 Philip L. Quinn Prize, the APA celebrates Professor Anita Allen for her extraordinary blend of scholarship and leadership.”

“This award means the world to me,” says Professor Allen. “It reflects the unexpected success of my interdisciplinary commitments as a scholar, teacher, and mentor. It was remarkable to have been the first Black woman APA president in 2018-19 and it’s a special achievement, as a Black woman, to be receiving the highest award for service to the discipline.”

Professor Allen is an internationally renowned expert on philosophical dimensions of privacy and data protection law, ethics, bioethics, legal philosophy, women’s rights, and diversity in higher education. She was vice provost for faculty at the University of Pennsylvania from 2013-2020. Professor Allen is the author of several books on privacy issues including Unpopular Privacy: What Must We Hide (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Why Privacy Isn’t Everything: Feminist Reflections on Personal Accountability (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003).

Professor Allen holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Michigan. She is also a graduate of Harvard Law School.