David Kyle Johnson

Johnson was born in Guymon, Oklahoma in 1977.{{Cite web|url=https://infidels.org/library/modern/david_kyle_johnson/bio.html|title=David Kyle Johnson (Biographical Information)|website=infidels.org}}

He attended the University of Oklahoma (from 2000 to 2006) where he earned a master's degree and doctorate in philosophy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/david-k-johnson/|title=The Great Courses|website=www.thegreatcourses.com}}

Johnson's first published article, God, fatalism, and temporal ontology,{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/27750034|title=God, Fatalism, and Temporal Ontology|author=Johnson, David Kyle|year=2009|journal=Religious Studies|volume=45|issue=4|pages=435–454|doi=10.1017/S0034412509990059|jstor=27750034|s2cid=171020517}} was based on his dissertation Divine Omniscience and the Fatalist Dilemma.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=David Kyle |date=2006 |title=Divine Omniscience and the Fatalist Dilemma |url=https://shareok.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/c3bd7ea9-1352-4bc1-8383-92bcb1a7f2a4/content |website=University of Oklahoma Graduate College}}

He has written extensively and debated (in print) with Victor Reppert on the Argument from reason, a debate which began in C. S. Lewis's Christian Apologetics : Pro and Con, edited by Gregory Bassham.

Johnson asserts that Reppert's argument fails for three reasons: 1) It "loads the die" by falsely assuming that naturalism, by definition, can't include mental causation "on the basic level". 2) Physical processes can reliably produce true beliefs. And 3) "reasoning isn’t necessarily mental".{{Cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/21564623|title=Naturalism Undefeated (A Refutation of C.S. Lewis' "Argument from Reason")|first=David Kyle|last=Johnson|journal=Gregory Bassham's "C.S. Lewis' Christian Apologetics" (Chapter 6)|via=www.academia.edu}}{{Cite journal|url=https://philpapers.org/rec/JOHRTA-12|title=Retiring the Argument From Reason|first=David Kyle|last=Johnson|date=January 6, 2018|journal=Philosophia Christi|volume=20|issue=2|pages=541–563|via=PhilPapers|doi=10.5840/pc201820249}}

In his 2013 article A Refutation of Skeptical Theism, Johnson argued that, contrary to the claims of skeptical theists, observing seemingly unjustified evil does reduce the probability of God's existence. He subsequently exchanged views on the topic with Timothy Perrine.{{Cite web|url=https://philpeople.org/profiles/david-kyle-johnson|title=David Kyle Johnson (Kings College) |website=philpeople.org}}

Johnson has published articles in journals such as Sophia, Religious Studies, Philo, SHERM (Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry), and Science, Religion, and Culture, along with a trilogy of articles, on the existence of souls, free will, and God, for the journal Think.

Johnson has produced three lectures for The Great Courses series: Exploring Metaphysics (2014), The Big Questions of Philosophy (2016) and Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy (2018).

He has edited three books for William Irwin’s Philosophy and Pop Culture series (released via Blackwell Publishing): Black Mirror and Philosophy: Dark Reflections, Inception and Philosophy: Because It's Never Just a Dream, and Heroes and Philosophy: Buy the Book, Save the World. He also co-edited (with William Irwin) Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture: From Socrates to South Park, Hume to House.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wiley.com/en-us/search?pq=%7CpublicationDate%7Cauthor:David+Kyle+Johnson|title=Wiley|website=www.wiley.com}}

Johnson gave a popular Talks at Google presentation on his book Inception and Philosophy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ginQNMiRu2w|title=Inception and Philosophy | Kyle Johnson | Talks at Google|website=www.youtube.com}}

He is the editor of The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy.{{Cite book|url=https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-3-319-97134-6|title=The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy|date=2020|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-97134-6|isbn=978-3-319-97134-6|s2cid=243517020|editor-last1=Kowalski |editor-last2=Lay |editor-last3=s. Engels |editor-first1=Dean A |editor-first2=Chris |editor-first3=Kimberly }}

He took on the title of executive officer for the Global Center for Religious Research (GCRR) in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gcrr.org/officers|title=Academic Society Officers|website=GCRR}}

In 2015, Johnson released The Myths that Stole Christmas: Seven Misconceptions that Hijacked the Holiday (and How We Can Take It Back).

Johnson has presented many arguments against lying to children about the existence of Santa Claus.{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=David |title=Sorry, Virginia... |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2009-12-13-0912130034-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621003005/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2009-12-13-0912130034-story.html |archive-date=2021-06-21 |website=Baltimore Sun [via Internet Archive] |access-date=23 October 2022 |date=13 December 2009}}{{Cite web|url=http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs-148-david-kyle-johnson-on-the-myths-that-stole-christmas.html|title=Rationally Speaking | Official Podcast of New York City Skeptics – Current Episodes – RS 148 – David Kyle Johnson on 'The Myths that Stole Christmas'|website=rationallyspeakingpodcast.org|access-date=2021-01-06|archive-date=2020-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108125930/http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs-148-david-kyle-johnson-on-the-myths-that-stole-christmas.html|url-status=dead}} Specifically, he suggests that the Santa Lie should be avoided because "It's a lie, it degrades your parental trustworthiness, it encourages credulity, it does not encourage imagination, and it's equivalent to bribing your kids for good behavior."{{Cite web|url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/plato-pop/201212/say-goodbye-the-santa-claus-lie|title=Say Goodbye to the Santa Claus Lie|website=Psychology Today}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vocativ.com/378177/lying-to-kids-about-santa-is-a-big-mistake-psychologists-say/|title=Lying To Kids About Santa Can Erode Their Trust, Psychologists Say|date=November 25, 2016|website=Vocativ|access-date=January 6, 2021|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119122646/https://www.vocativ.com/378177/lying-to-kids-about-santa-is-a-big-mistake-psychologists-say/|url-status=dead}}

He also appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News commentary program, Hannity, to talk about the issue; afterward Johnson wrote “Sorry Sean Hannity, the Truth About Santa Isn’t “Fake News”.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/hannity-clashes-with-guest-over-whether-we-should-lie-to-kids-about-santa-claus-you-need-to-loosen-up/|title=Hannity Clashes With Guest Over Whether We Should Lie to Kids About Santa Claus: 'You Need to Loosen Up'|date=December 6, 2018}}Washington Post, Dec 6, 2018{{Cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/logical-take/201812/sorry-sean-hannity-the-truth-about-santa-isn-t-fake-news|title=Sorry Sean Hannity, the Truth About Santa Isn't "Fake News"|website=Psychology Today}}

Johnson maintains two blogs for Psychology Today: "Plato on Pop" and "A Logical Take."

He has also written for the London School of Economics’ Blog on American Politics and Policy.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2016/12/23/trumps-war-on-christmas-is-just-one-part-of-his-coming-war-on-free-speech/|title=Trump's war on Christmas is just one part of his coming war on free speech|date=December 23, 2016}}

Bill Nye has praised Johnson for his work and for creating a personal interest in philosophy. Nye has said of The Big Questions of Philosophy, “I read his book so many times, it fell apart. I had to get another copy.”{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/960303/bill-nye-on-philosophy-the-science-guy-says-he-has-changed-his-mind/|title=Bill Nye says I convinced him that philosophy is not just a load of self-indulgent crap|first=Olivia|last=Goldhill|website=Quartz|date=15 April 2017 }}

Whilst studying in Oklahoma Johnson won the Kenneth Merrill Graduate Teaching Award.

In 2011, the American Philosophical Association’s committee on public philosophy gave him an award for his ability to make philosophy accessible to the general public.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lvhumanists.org/video_dec2019|title=Dec 2019 Speaker: David Kyle Johnson, Ph.D. presents SNL's Blasphemy and Rippin' up the Pope|website=Lehigh Valley Humanists}}

• Exploring Metaphysics (2014)
• The Myths that Stole Christmas: Seven Misconceptions that Hijacked the Holiday (and How We Can Take It Back) (2015)
• The Big Questions of Philosophy (2016)
• Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy (2018)

• Heroes and Philosophy: Buy the Book, Save the World (2009)
• Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture: From Socrates to South Park, Hume to House (2010)
• Inception and Philosophy: Because It's Never Just a Dream (2011)
• Black Mirror and Philosophy: Dark Reflections (2019)

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Category:1977 births

Category:Living people

Category:American philosophers of religion

Category:American philosophers of logic

Category:American metaphysicians

Category:American philosophy academics

Category:21st-century American philosophers

Category:Philosophers from Oklahoma

Category:People from Guymon, Oklahoma

Category:University of Oklahoma alumni

Category:King's College (Pennsylvania) faculty