Connecting you with the University of Missouri’s innovative research and creative activity“Armchair Philosophy” and Beyond
A visit with Robert Johnson, Associate Professor of Philosophy
Additional Interview Clips
Introduction to Research in Philosophy
Doing "armchair philosophy"
Types of reasoning
Moral Reasoning
What "data" means to a philosopher
The impact of empirical research on ethical philosophy
Collaboration with other philosophers at MU
Johnson's path to philosophy
Johnson's current book project
Teaching at Mizzou
The state of ethics today
Topics:
ethics
virtue
The state of contemporary debates on the nature of right vs. wrong and on virtue. Johnson discusses the shift of focus from the two primary camps of ethics, utilitarianism and deontologists, to virtue ethics, which takes human psychology into greater account. What place do circumstances and empirical studies on character traits have in the debate?