Mark Johnston

Mark Johnston (born 1954) is an Australian philosopher currently serving as a Henry Putnam University Professor at Princeton University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Melbourne and completed his Ph.D. at Princeton under the supervision of Saul Kripke and David Lewis. Johnston's career at Princeton began in 1984, and he became a full professor in 1991. He has held visiting professorships at various institutions globally and has delivered distinguished invited lectures, including the Gifford Lectures. Johnston's research spans a wide range of philosophical areas, including ontology, cognitive science, philosophy of mind, epistemology, religion, and value theory. He is recognized for his critiques of the method of cases in philosophy, his emphasis on the authority of affect, and his theories on concepts, objectivity, and personal identity. His notable books include 'Saving God' (2009) and 'Surviving Death' (2010), which explored religious naturalism and the nature of consciousness and survival, respectively. Johnston also contributed significantly to professional activities, co-founding the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Center for Human Values and playing a role in the Marc Sanders Foundation and Minorities in Philosophy (MAP).