JOHN GIBSON
Curriculum Vitae
Department of Philosophy ▫ University of Louisville ▫ Louisville, KY 40292
john.gibson@louisville.edu ▫ 502/ 852-0452
EDUCATION
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University of Toronto. Ph.D., 2001
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Indiana University-Bloomington. B.A., 1993
EMPLOYMENT
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University of Louisville. Associate Professor of Philosophy, 2006 – present
Temple University. Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, 2002-2004
AREAS OF RESEARCH
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Aesthetics & Philosophy of Art
Philosophy of Literature
Philosophy of Language
PUBLICATIONS (select)
a) Books
1. Fiction and the Weave of Life. Oxford University Press, cloth 2007; paper 2012.
In progress
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Poetry, Metaphor, and Nonsense: An Essay on Meaning
The Philosophy of Literature: A Contemporary Introduction. Contract w/ Routledge
b) Books edited
2. The Philosophy of Poetry. Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
3. The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Literature. Coeditor, w/ Noël Carroll. Routledge, in
preparation.
4. Narrative, Emotion & Insight. Coeditor, w/ Noël Carroll. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2011.
5. A Sense of the World: Essays on Fiction, Narrative, and Knowledge. Coeditor, w/ Wolfgang Huemer and
Luca Pocci. Routledge, 2007.
6. The Literary Wittgenstein. Routledge, 2004. Coeditor, w/ Wolfgang Huemer.
c) Articles & Book Chapters
7. “Narrative and The Literary Imagination.” In Allen Speight (ed.), Narrative, Philosophy & Life, Springer,
forthcoming.
8. What Does the Humanist Want?” In Reality and Culture. Edited by Patricia Hanna. Rodopi, 2014.
9. “Representation and The Novel.” Henry James Review, 34:3, 2013, 220-231.
10. “Selves on Selves.” Journal of Aesthetic Education, 46:4, 2013, 109-119.
11. “The Question of Poetic Meaning.” Nonsite, Issue #4, 2011.
12. “Thick Narratives.” In Narrative, Emotion & Insight. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2011.
13. “Interpretation, Sincerity, and Theory.” Contemporary Aesthetics, Vol. 8, 2010.
14. “Scepticism and the Idea of an Other: Reflections on Cavell and Postcolonialism.” W/ Simona
Bertacco. In Stanley Cavell and Literary Theory: Consequences of Scepticism. Edited by Bernie Rhei and
Richard Eldridge. Continuum, 2011.
15. “Literature and Knowledge.” In The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Literature. Edited by Richard
Eldridge. Oxford University Press, 2009.
16. “Cognitivism and the Arts.” Philosophy Compass, 3:4, 2008: 573-589.
17. “Kritischer Pluralismus und Erkenntniszuwachs.” In Kunst Denken, pp. 105-116. Edited and Translated
by Alex Burri et al. Mentis, 2007.
18. “The Prospects of Literary Cognitivism.” In A Sense of the World: Essays on Fiction, Narrative, and
Knowledge. Routledge, 2007.
19. “Interpreting Words, Interpreting Worlds.” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 64:4, 2006: 438-450.
20. . “Reading for Life.” In The Literary Wittgenstein. Routledge, 2004.
21. “Between Truth & Triviality.” British Journal of Aesthetics, 43:3, 2003: 224-236.
22. “Reality & the Language of Fiction.” In Writing the Austrian Traditions: Themes in Philosophy & Literature.
Edited by Oliver Schuster and Wolfgang Huemer. University of Toronto Press, 2003.
23. “The Threat of Panfictionalism.” Symposium 6:1, 2002: 37-46.
In progress
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“Empathy & Identification.” In The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Literature. Co-edited with
Noël Carroll. Routledge, in preparation.
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“What Makes a Poem Philosophical?” Invited for a volume on Wittgenstein and modernism, edited
by Karen Zumhagen-Yekplé & Michael LeMahieu.
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“Voice and the Literary Conception of Selfhood”
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“Literature & Meaning Skepticism.”
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“Towards an Empirically Informed Aesthetic Cognitivism.” W/ Guy Dove. Article.
e) Book Reviews
1. Oren Isenberg, Being Numerous: Poetry and the Ground of Social Life (Princeton, 2011), Journal of Aesthetics
and Art Criticism, Vol. 70, 2012.
2. Peter Lamarque, The Philosophy of Literature (Blackwell, 2008), in Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism,
Vol. 68, 2010.
3. David Davies, Aesthetics and Literature (Continuum, 2007), in Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol.
66, 2008.
4. Eve Guelen, The End of Art: Readings in a Rumor after Hegel (Stanford UP, 2006), in Colloquia Germanica:
Internationale Zeitschrift für Germanistik, Vol. 39, 2008.
5. Laurent Stern, Interpretive Reasoning (Cornell 2005), in Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 64: 4, 2006.
6. Andreea Declu Ritivoi (ed), Interpretation and Its Objects: Studies in the Philosophy of Michael Krausz
(Rodopi, 2003), in Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 63: 4, 2005
7. Michael Krausz (ed) Is There a Single Right Interpretation? (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002) in
Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 2005.
PRESENTATIONS AT SCHOLARLY MEETINGS (select)
a) Invited and Refereed
1. “Literature and Skepticism.” Temple University, May 9th. Conference in honor of Joseph Margolis.
2. “Voice and The Literary Conception of Selfhood.” Rutgers April 23, 2014. Panel w/ Michael Clune
3. “Interpretation, Meaning, and Relativism.” Bryn Mawr College, November 14 th, 2013.
4. “Actors, Reader, and Existential Amplification.” Author-meets-critics panel on Tzachi Zamir’s Acts:
Philosophy, Theater, and The Performing Self. American Society for Aesthetics, San Diego, October 2013.
5. “Narrative Selves and Lyric Selves.” Swarthmore College, April 18th, 2013.
6. “What Makes a Poem Philosophical?” American Comparative Literature Association, Brown
University, March 30thth 2012.
7. “Wittgenstein & The Idea of a Self.” MLA Annual Convention, Seattle, January 5th 2012. Refereed.
8. “Milton, Kant & The Literary Imagination.” The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, December 14th-15th,
2011. Workshop in Honor of Professor Sanford Budick.
9. “Problems of Meaning in Poetry and Metaphor.” The University of Tampere, Finland, November 10th,
2011.
10. “The Problem of Poetic Meaning.” Boston University, April 2nd, 2011. Presented at No Quarrel:
Philosophy and Literature Today
11. Gibson, John. “Skepticism and the Idea of an Other.” Harvard Humanities Center, October 14th -16th,
2010. Presented at a symposium in honor of Stanley Cavell,
12. “The Question of Poetic Meaning.” University of Southampton (UK), June 28th, 2010. presented at
Wittgenstein and Aesthetics: 3rd British Wittgenstein Society Annual Conference,
13. “Poetry, Metaphor, and Nonsense.” Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy, June 16th, 2010.
14. “Narrative and the Nature of Ethical Criticism,” presented at Art, Ethics, and Cognition: A Workshop on
Analytic Aesthetics, Reggio Emilia, Italy, May 28th, 2010.
15. “Stern’s Theory of Interpretation.” Eastern Division Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics,
April, 2008. Panel on Laurent Stern’s Interpretative Reasoning
16. “Fiction and the Weave of Life. ” Kentucky Philosophical Association, Lexington, April 12th, 2008.
Session on new books at the annual meeting of the
17. “Krausz’s Constructive Realism.” Pacific meeting of the American Philosophical Association, March
12th, 2008.
18. “Interpretation, Fiction, and Reality.” Bryn Mawr College, April 11th, 2007.
19. “Literature and Reality.” Pacific Division Meeting of American Philosophical Association, Pacific
Division Meeting, Portland, March 22nd, 2006.
20. “The Cognitive Value of Literary Representations,” presented at Kunst und Kognition, Universität
Erfurt, Germany, June 13th, 2005.
21. “The Conflict between Aestheticism & Humanism in the Theory of Art.” Drexel University, February
17th, 2005.
22. “Critical Pluralism & the Growth of Knowledge.” American Aesthetics Association Annual Meeting,
Houston, October 28th.
23. “Pragmatism and Postmodern Culture.” Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, Hanoi, Vietnam,
June 8th, 2004.
24. “From Romanticism to Pragmatism.” Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, Hanoi, Vietnam, June
7th, 2004.
25. “Minds, Persons, and Selves.” Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, Hanoi, Vietnam, June 6th,
2004.
26. “Between Truth & Triviality.” Eastern Division Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics
Philadelphia, April 4th, 2003.
27. “Art, Representation & Reality.” Universität Erfurt, Germany, May 13th, 2002.
28. “What Wittgenstein Can Teach Literary Theory,”. Kirchberg, Austria, August 15 th, 2001. Presented at
24th International Wittgenstein Symposium
29. “Fiction, Art & Knowledge,” presented at Symposium on Philosophy and Literature, Toronto, May 13th,
2000.
b) Responses
1. David Davies, “Fictive Utterance, Fictional Narratives, and Fictional Works,” Annual Meeting of the
American Society for Aesthetics, St Louis, October 29th, 2012
2. Gregory Currie, “Agency and Repentance in The Winter’s Tale,” Pacific Meeting of the American Society
for Aesthetics, Monterey, CA, April 16th, 2009.
3. Deborah Tollefsen, “Collective Art and Collective Intention,” Annual Meeting of the American Society
for Aesthetics, Providence, October 18-21, 2005.
4. James Harold’s “Aesthetic Warrant,” American Philosophical Association, Central Division Meeting,
Chicago, April 19th, 2004.
5. Eddy Zemach’s “Literary Works: How Are They?” & David Cantor’s “Clone Poems: Toward a
Reductio?,” Eastern Division Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Philadelphia, April 6th,
2004.
COURSES TAUGHT (since 2006)
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Aesthetics/PHL 531/631 (annually)
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Philosophy of Art/PHL 331 (annually)
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Philosophy through Literature and Film/PHL 206 (annually)
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Nietzsche/PHL (x2)
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Wittgenstein/PHL 502/602
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Plato/PHL (x2)
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Critical Thinking (x3)
SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION
a) Manuscript review
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Oxford University Press
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University of Chicago
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Wiley-Blackwell
Rowman & Littlefield
Routledge
Cornell University Press
Columbia University Press
Indiana University Press
Continuum (jacket endorsement)
Norton, Springer
The Philosophical Quarterly
European Journal of Philosophy
Henry James Review
Philosopher’s Imprint
Journal of Aesthetics & Art Criticism
British Journal of Aesthetics
Journal of Value Inquiry
Journal of Aesthetic Education
Partial Answers
Memoria di Shakespeare
Estetika: The Central European Journal of Aesthetics
Synthesis Philosophica: Journal of the Croatian Philosophical Society
The European Legacy
Modern Drama
Altre Modernità
Theoria
b) Conference etc. organization
*Note: “ASA” = American Society for Aesthetics; “APA” = American Philosophical Association
1. Co-organizer of the annual ASA Eastern Division Meeting, 2013 – 2014.
2. Member of the APA Eastern Division Advisory Committee (Philosophy of Literature), 2011-2013.
3. ASA representative to the Central APA, 2011-2013. 3-yr appointment as organizer of the ASA
session at the Central Division Meeting of the APA.
4. Member of Program Committee for the 2006 national meeting of the ASA, Milwaukee, October
25th – 29th, 2006.
5. Organizer of Fiction, Emotion, and Insight, held at the Free Library of Philadelphia and sponsored by
The Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium, October 21st, 2006.
LANGUAGES
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Ancient Greek (basic reading)
Latin (basic reading)
Italian (conversational)