“Activist” might not be the first word that comes to mind to describe Martha Nussbaum, whose work as a philosopher has made her a public figure for more than three decades. But her first piece for this magazine, published in 1985, was titled “Plato and Affirmative Action.” Early in the next piece on the education of women, she writes, “Philosophers have frequently discussed education. They have far less often addressed themselves to the special problems connected with the education of women.” In recent years, Nussbaum has turned her attention to the rights of nonhuman animals, and for our sixtieth anniversary issue, she reviews three new books and a documentary about the politics and ethics of the whaling industry.

Nussbaum is a fluent correspondent who writes with generosity and tender openness, even about the tragic death of her daughter and the direction in which it has led her work. We e-mailed this week about her most recent piece.

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