In this episode, we focus on how our imaginations are essential to moral decision-making and help us evaluate the possible outcomes of our actions. As part of this, we also discuss the shortcomings of rigid moral systems and the necessity of maintaining humility. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Mark Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Philip H. Knight Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Emeritus at the University of Oregon.

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Dr. Mark L. Johnson is currently Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Philip H. Knight Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Emeritus. Johnson has authored numerous articles and book chapters on a broad range of topics including philosophy of language, metaphor theory, aesthetics, recent moral theory, ethical naturalism, philosophy and cognitive science, embodied cognition, philosophical psychology, and American pragmatist philosophy.

Some of his notable publications include Mind in Nature: John Dewey, Cognitive Science, and a Naturalistic Philosophy for Living (MIT Press, 2023) and, with George Lakoff, of Metaphors We Live By (University of Chicago Press, [1980] 2003). Notably for our study of imagination are his books Moral Imagination: Implications of Cognitive Science for Ethics (1993), and The Body in the Mind: The Bodily Basis of Meaning, Imagination, and Reason (1987).

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While his full catalog of articles and books is far too long to list here, the publications below provide a useful introduction to his scholarship addressing the topic of imagination:

Johnson, M. (1993). Moral imagination : implications of cognitive science for ethics. University of Chicago Press.

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.

Johnson, M. (2015). Morality for Humans: Ethical Understanding from the Perspective of Cognitive Science. The University of Chicago Press. Copy citation to clipboard

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