Robert C. Koons

Robert C. Koons
Born	(1957-02-22) February 22, 1957 (age 67) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Education	Michigan State University (BA) Oxford University (MA) University of California, Los Angeles (PhD)
Occupation	Academic
Employer	University of Texas at Austin

Robert Charles ("Rob") Koons (/kuːnz/; born February 22, 1957) is an American philosopher. He is a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas, noted for his contribution to metaphysics and philosophical logic. Koons has also advocated for academic freedom and courses on Western civilization.

Early life and career

Koons was born in Saint Paul. Son of Charles Bruce and Margaret Constance (Suter) Koons. He received a Bachelor in Philosophy from Michigan State University, 1979; a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Theology, Oxford University, England, 1981; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy, University of California at Los Angeles, 1987.

Koons was Assistant professor philosophy University Texas, Austin, 1987-1993, associate professor, 1993-2000, professor, since 2000.

Koons was faculty affiliate Christian Leadership Ministries, Dallas, 1987. Member American Philosophical Association, Association Symbolic Logic, Society Christian Philosophers. He was named Claude R. Lambe fellow, Institute Humane Studies, 1986; recipient Gustave O. Arlt prize in humanities Council Graduate Schools, 1992; Richard Weaver fellow Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 1985, Danforth fellow, Danforth Foundation, 1979, Marshall scholar, 1979.

Educational activities

Koons has been involved in debates over issues of academic freedom[1] and has advocated for college exit exams as he believes the measures used currently don't measure how well students learn.[2] He led an effort at UT to create a concentration in Western Civilization and American Institutions.[3] The goal of the program was to promote the study of the "Great Books" of the Western tradition, especially the American founding. Koons stated that the program transcended political differences.[4]

Koons is a national Senator of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, as well as a member of the executive committee of the Society of Christian Philosophers.

Books

Authored

• Paradoxes of Belief and Strategic Rationality (Cambridge University Press, 1992)[5]
• Realism Regained: An Exact Theory of Causation, Teleology, and the Mind (Oxford University Press, 2000)
• Metaphysics: The Fundamentals (with Timothy Pickavance), (Wiley-Blackwell, 2015)[6]
• The Atlas of Reality: A Complete Guide to Metaphysics (with Timothy Pickavance), (Wiley-Blackwell, 2017)[7]

Edited

• The Waning of Materialism: New Essays in the Philosophy of Mind (with George Bealer) (Oxford University Press, 2010)[8]
• ’’Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Contemporary Science’’ (with William Simpson and Nicholas Teh), (Routledge, 2018)[9]

References

1. Liscano, M (2001-10-16). "U. Texas faculty concerned with potential stifling of opinion". The Daily Texan.^[dead link‍]
2. Nolen, J (2000-09-01). "Two U. Texas profs seek college exit exams". The Daily Texan.
3. Ludwig, M (2007-09-19). "Colleges failing in civics". San Antonio Express-News. My San Antonio. Retrieved 2010-08-29.^[permanent dead link‍]
4. Cohen, P (2008-09-21). "Conservatives Try New Tack on Campuses". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
5. Reviews of Paradoxes of Belief:
   • Gian Aldo Antonelli, Economics & Philosophy, doi:10.1017/S0266267100001607
   • Jeffrey S. Banks, The American Political Science Review, doi:10.2307/2938830, JSTOR 2938830
   • Peter Esainko, American Scientist, JSTOR 29775037
   • Bernard Linsky, Philosophical Books, doi:10.1111/j.1468-0149.1993.tb00741.x
   • Vann McGee, Mind, JSTOR 2254056
6. Review of Metaphysics: The Fundamentals: Nicholas Danne, Metaphysica, doi:10.1515/mp-2016-0019
7. Reviews of The Atlas of Reality:
   • Jude P. Dougherty, The Review of Metaphysics, JSTOR 44807020
   • Ross Inman, Southwestern Journal of Theology, [1]
8. Reviews of The Waning of Materialism:
   • Andrew M. Bailey, Mind, JSTOR 23012254
   • David Yates, The Philosophical Quarterly, doi:10.1111/j.1467-9213.2011.00033.x
9. Reviews of ’’Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives:
   • Paul M. Gould, Philosophia Christi, doi:10.5840/pc201921120
   • Benjamin Liebeskind, "Einstein in Athens", The New Atlantis, JSTOR 26760516

External links

• Robert Koons' faculty page