Jeff Johnson

Web Papers

I am something of a compulsive writer.  Many of these papers are in a very preliminary draft stage, though others have been accepted for publication.  They do constitute, however, a written record of what I have been thinking about in the last two decades, or so.  Since my professional writing so often finds its way into my teaching, I have decided to make these papers available to my students, and anyone else who might have an interest.

I would very much appreciate hearing from you, if you discover typos, grammatical infelicities, or other errors.  I'd also love to have your substantive thoughts on these papers -- including, of course, disagreements.  All of these papers exist in a "tangible medium" and are therefore covered by copyright law.

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

"Privacy, Authenticity, & Equality: The Moral and Legal Case for the Right to Homosexual Marriage" (2008) "Immunity from the Focused Attention of Others (2007) "Explanation, Human Nature, and Tort Theory" (2006)
"The Argument from Language and the Existence of God" (2005) "From Friendly Atheism to Friendly Natural Theology: The Case for Modesty in Religious Epistemology" (2003) "Immunity from the Illegitimate Focused Attention of Others" (2001)
"Poverty and the Death Penalty" (2001) "Evidence, Explanation, and Mystical Experience" (2001)  "Nuclear Deterrence (1998)
"Personal Survival and the Closest-Continuer Theory" (1997)  "Procedure, Substance, and the Divine Command Theory" (1994) "Constitutional Privacy" (1994)
"Inference to the Best Explanation and the New Teleological Argument" (1993) A Theory of the Nature and Value of Privacy" (1992) "Law and Economics" (1991)
"Balancing and the Legitimate Expectation of Privacy" (1988) "T.L.O. and the Student's Right to Privacy" (1986) "Inference to the Best Explanation and the Problem of Evil" (1984)

INFERRING AND EXPLAINING (On-line book)

Contents Chapter One: Arguments

Chapeter Two: Inference to the Best Explanation

 
Chapter Three: New Data and Experimentation

Chapter Four: Semmelweis and Childbed Fever: A Case Study

 

 Chapter Five: Darwin and Common Descent

Chapter Six: Statistics: Makeing Sense of the Numbers

 

 Chapter Seven: Textual Interpretation Chapter Eight: Correlations and Causes
Chapter Nine: Testimony    

CONFERENCE PAPERS

"Secular Natural Law and the Backward-Looking Perspective on Justice"

"Secular Natural Law" "Privacy and the Liberal State"
"The Argument From Contingent Realities and the Constitutional Case Against the Death Penalty"

"Appeals to Mystery and the Evidential Argument from Evil" "Secular Natural Law and the Normative Justification of the State
"The Value of Privacy in the Liberal State" "Legal Privacy and the Attention of Others"

INFERRING & EXPLAINING: The Quest for Good Evidence in Everyday and Philosophical Contexts Earlier Version

 
"Deliberation, Choice, and the Emergence of Free Wii"