From Lukas J. Meier
Temporarily in a Different Location
Entering Katherine’s small office on the top floor of Edgecliffe, I was always excited. Who would not have been looking forward to an hour of intellectual brilliance that would lie ahead? To an hour of inspiration, delivered with unparalleled modesty and kindness? To an hour with someone whose commitment greatly exceeded her official duties?
Behind the inconspicuous white door with the golden knob, one would find a person who was always careful not to dictate but to suggest; not to lecture but to listen; to do everything she could to ensure that other people’s work would unfold and shine. One would find an outstanding professor, an exceptionally generous person, a scientific and social role model who has influenced hundreds of students in her much too short life.
When I think of her office now being deserted, I cannot hold back the tears. The loss for her family, colleagues, students, our university, and for the whole philosophical community is beyond words. Katherine, we owe so much to you. Knowing you was a privilege; talking to you was a pleasure; having had you as my supervisor was an honour.
As the topic of my dissertation was death, Katherine and I spent many hours discussing the end of our existence. During the very last supervision I had with her, she told me that she finds a view inspired by Albert Einstein especially appealing: if we conceive of time as we understand space – as a fourth dimension – then people who have died are not really gone; they are merely in a different location, just as we were when we were younger. Their existence is just as real as is ours.
If anyone is an expert on time and persistence, it is Katherine. And while I am deeply saddened by her passing, I console myself with the thought that she is probably right. She must be.
Lukas J. Meier,
Katherine’s final PhD student