About
John Gibson’s research focuses on topics in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, and he is especially concerned with connections between these areas and central issues in the philosophy of language and the philosophy of the self. Much of his recent research explores the uniqueness of the forms of meaning artworks bear and the implications this has for accounts of the cultural, ethical, and cognitive significance of art. He is currently co-director on a TRT funded project titled Aesthetic Cognitivism and the Prospects of Criticism.
At Louisville he teaches courses on the philosophy of art, the nature of the self, Plato, and Nietzsche, and he has developed a 200 level course that introduces students to philosophy through literature and film. He is a member of the steering committee of the PhD in Humanities.
Professor Gibson previously served as the Director of the Commonwealth Center for the Humanities and Society.