{"id":4907,"date":"2025-10-31T13:36:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T18:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/?page_id=4907"},"modified":"2025-10-31T15:08:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T20:08:36","slug":"kent-johnson-fund-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/kent-johnson-fund-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Kent Johnson Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection>\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__image_overlay panel panel-image_overlay site-section__bg--default\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"image-overlay\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner site-section__inner--no-padding\">\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t<div role=\"img\" aria-label=\"iceland mountain range 1 (2)\" style=\"background-image:url('https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/08\/iceland-mountain-range-1-2-1600x799.jpg');\" loading=\"lazy\"  class=\"site-section__bg-img site-section__bg-img--m-stack\"><\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n                \n\t<div id=\"site-panel__image-overlay-69e40236211a6\" class=\"site-panel__img-overlay-wrap site-panel__img-overlay--no-ribbon horz-center vert-middle no-height-set\">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__img-overlay-content\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"t-content t-content--light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__desc\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-name=\"content\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-autop\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-livetext\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><strong>Promoting undergraduate research in Philosophy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__tabs panel panel-tabs site-section__bg--normal\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"tabs\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner\" data-js=\"tabs\">\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<header class=\"l-wrapper site-section__header site-section__title h3\">\n\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"site-section__title h3\" id=\"kent-johnson-research\" data-name=\"title\" data-livetext data-depth=\"0\" data-index=\"0\">Kent Johnson Research<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/header>\n\t\n\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"site-panel__tablist\" data-js=\"tab-list\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"site-panel__tab-item\" role=\"presentation\" data-js=\"tab-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"site-panel__tab-btn site-panel__tab-btn--active\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-js=\"site-panel__tab\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-target=\"site-panel__tab-content-1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tab\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"site-panel__tab-content-1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-selected=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"u-visual-hide\">Show<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFunded Research Projects\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"u-visual-hide\">Content<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"site-panel__tab-item\" role=\"presentation\" data-js=\"tab-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"site-panel__tab-btn  \"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-js=\"site-panel__tab\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-target=\"site-panel__tab-content-2\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tab\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"site-panel__tab-content-2\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-selected=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"u-visual-hide\">Show<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApplying for Funding\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"u-visual-hide\">Content<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__tab-content-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"site-panel__tab-content-1\" class=\"site-panel__tab-content site-panel__tab-content--active\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"panel panel-child panel--type-wysiwyg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section site-panel__wysiwyg panel panel-wysiwyg site-section__bg--default\" data-depth=\"1\" data-js-panel=\"wysiwyg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner l-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__content \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__wrapper site-grid__wrapper-stagger\" data-depth=\"0\" data-name=\"columns\" data-livetext>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__wysiwyg-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"t-content  site-section \" data-depth=\"0\" data-index=\"0\" data-autop=\"true\" data-name=\"column_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>An Online Guide to Kierkegaard&#8217;s Copenhagen<\/h3>\n<h4>Kierkegaard Library CURI Project<br \/>\nSummer 2024 \u2013 Madeline Altman<\/h4>\n<p>This project is an interactive webpage that leads the visitor through an online tour of sites in Copenhagen and the greater area of North Sjaelland related to the authorship and biography of S\u00f8ren Kierkegaard. It provides visitors with a brief background to the biographical significance of the given sites for Kierkegaard and includes, for each site, an introduction to a work from this authorship that is related to the site. Each site also includes a link to a larger section of text from Kierkegaard\u2019s writing for further reading.<\/p>\n<h3>Video Creation: Making a Rare Books Collection Come Alive in the Kierkegaard Library<\/h3>\n<h4>Kierkegaard Library CURI Project<br \/>\nSummer 2024 \u2013 Chloe Revier<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4209\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/kent-johnson-fund\/revier-image-for-kj-fund\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2024\/10\/Revier-Image-for-KJ-Fund.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Revier Image for KJ Fund\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2024\/10\/Revier-Image-for-KJ-Fund-768x1024.jpeg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4209 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2024\/10\/Revier-Image-for-KJ-Fund-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/h4>\n<p class=\"gmail_default\"><span id=\"m_-2681520819574987497gmail-docs-internal-guid-c2eda48f-7fff-c2ca-403f-97a8c8c9eb64\">This project entailed creating a video that showcases the Hong Kierkegaard Library, specifically the Rare Books Collection<\/span><span style=\"font-family: arial, sans-serif;\"><span id=\"m_-2681520819574987497gmail-docs-internal-guid-c2eda48f-7fff-c2ca-403f-97a8c8c9eb64\">. <\/span><\/span>The central question leading this project was how, in video format, to tell a meaningful story about this collection, using filming of the collection&#8217;s various spaces, interviews, and other images and sounds. The audience for the video spans from Kierkegaard scholars to students, and a public interested in learning more about Kierkegaard and rare book collections.<br \/>\nThe Rare Books Collection consists, among other items, of materials pre-dating 1856 that replicate the personal<br \/>\nlibrary of the Danish philosopher, S\u00f8ren Kierkegaard (1813\u20131855). The project was a collaborative effort with the Kierkegaard Library\u2019s director, with assistance from other Library staff. Throughout the summer, I performed research on best practices for creating a story-telling video with content from a special collection; learned to discern and use relevant and compelling content for video storytelling; gained skills in making and editing a video for online sharing; and practiced interviewing and information gathering.<\/p>\n<h3>Finding Faith in Anxiety: An Interpretation of S\u00f8ren Kierkegaard\u2019s Exploration of the Paradox Between Reason and Faith Within Oneself<\/h3>\n<h4>Kierkegaard Library CURI Project<br \/>\nSummer 2023 \u2013 Elie Kayobe<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3916\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/kent-johnson-fund\/download\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2023\/09\/download.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"206,220\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"download\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2023\/09\/download.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3916 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2023\/09\/download.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"223\" height=\"238\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In this project, I undertake a thorough exploration of S\u00f8ren Kierkegaard&#8217;s philosophical perspective on the intricate relationship between faith and anxiety.<br \/>\nBy curating a digital exhibit on this topic (found <a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/b5647ddb8fa94f48b00e197c60edffd7\">here<\/a>), I help bring to life the special collection of the St. Olaf Kierkegaard Library together with my peers in a <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/kierkegaard\/digital-exhibits\/\">summer CURI project<\/a>. In today\u2019s context, where anxiety is on the rise and often considered a medical condition, Kierkegaard\u2019s insights take on renewed relevance. Throughout this study, I delve into Kierkegaard\u2019s concepts of anxiety, faith, and rationality, arguing that faith and reason need not be mutually exclusive but can coexist cyclically within the journey of self-discovery, guided by the Divine perspective. Drawing from a comparative analysis of Kierkegaard&#8217;s works, <em>Fear and Trembling<\/em> and <em>Concept of Anxiety<\/em>, I demonstrate how he views anxiety as an essential facet of the human experience, one that can yield positive outcomes through faith. Within the digital exhibit, I use resources in the Kierkegaard Library and its Rare Book Room to help the viewer examine anxiety through the lens of the biblical narratives of Adam and Abraham. And I trace the trajectory from the psychological origins of anxiety to its profound religious implications, emphasizing the necessity of taking a leap in faith to address existential questions and avoid the despair that Kierkegaard warns against as the alternative.<\/p>\n<h3>A New Interpretation of Plato\u2019s Example of the Jury: Avoiding a Paradox with an Appeal to Epistemic Humility<\/h3>\n<h4>2022 Texas A&amp;M University Philosophy Graduate Student Conference &#8211; Emma Dougherty<\/h4>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3607\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/kent-johnson-fund\/dsc_0916\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2022\/05\/DSC_0916.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0916\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2022\/05\/DSC_0916-1024x683.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-3607 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2022\/05\/DSC_0916-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"168\" \/><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">This paper offers a new interpretation of the example of the jury (201a-c), in which Socrates distinguishes knowledge from mere judgment in Plato\u2019s Theaetetus. Though there is some textual support for the two common interpretations of the example, they are both inconsistent with other parts of the dialogue and are viewed by some, most notably Myles Burnyeat, as paradoxical. I argue that the jury example demonstrates that true judgment is not knowledge because we can have true judgments without being certain they are true, avoiding the paradox of previous interpretations. Further, I argue that this should be the preferred interpretation because it contextualizes other perplexing passages in the Theaetetus and invokes the importance of epistemic humility, a theme that can ultimately be traced throughout the dialogue.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>Nietzsche&#8217;s Valuations of Resentment and Guilt<\/h3>\n<h4>Summer 2020 &#8211; Hermon Werede<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3085\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/kent-johnson-fund\/106676199_290095669002881_3736270299049044307_n-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/08\/106676199_290095669002881_3736270299049044307_n-1-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1913,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"106676199_290095669002881_3736270299049044307_n (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/08\/106676199_290095669002881_3736270299049044307_n-1-765x1024.jpg\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3085 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/08\/106676199_290095669002881_3736270299049044307_n-1-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I am conducting research for a project on Nietzsche\u2019s criticism of European morality, with a focus on Christian conceptions of resentment, guilt, and conscience. I plan to produce a publishable paper by the end of the research period that I can use for graduate school applications. Suffering is an intrinsic and an inevitable part of human existence. Every person who suffers seeks a way out of suffering or seeks to attribute the cause of suffering to a guilty perpetrator. I will explore the role of conscience in this process of eliminating suffering and the connection this has with the will to power.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>An Alternate Possibility for the Compatibility of Divine Foreknowledge and Free Will<\/h3>\n<h3>Common Ground and the Roots of Disagreement within the Church&#8217;s Homosexuality Debate<\/h3>\n<h4>2018-2019 &#8211; Alexander Cavender<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3138\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/kent-johnson-fund\/alex-cavender-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/09\/Alex-Cavender.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Alex Cavender\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/09\/Alex-Cavender-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3138 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/09\/Alex-Cavender-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The first conference I attended which I got funding for was the 2018 Minnesota Philosophical Society Conference, Saturday October 13, at Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, MN. My presentation title was: &#8220;An Alternate Possibility for the Compatibility of Divine Foreknowledge and Free WIll.&#8221; This was a long-running research project of mine that grew out of a paper I wrote for Professor Cunningham&#8217;s free will seminar. We received funding 2018-2019 to work jointly on this project from the Magnus the Good Collaborative Fellowship at St. Olaf, and this presentation was our first shot at getting some feedback on our project. In my presentation, I argue that most proposed solutions to the argument for theological fatalism are unsatisfactory and propose a solution based on a reanalysis of the ambiguous Principle of Alternate Possibilities commonly known in contemporary analytic literature on free will.<\/p>\n<p>The second conference I attended was: &#8220;Is There Still A Secular Virtue of Chastity?&#8221; This was a Christopher Newport University virtue ethics conference held on March 29-30, 2019.\u00a0The title of my presentation was &#8220;Common Ground and the Roots of Disagreement within the Church&#8217;s Homosexuality Debate.&#8221; This was a paper that grew out of my research (funded by the Graduate School Exploration Fellowship) from the previous summer (2018) at the University of Iowa with Professor Diana Fritz-Cates into contemporary moral theological debates among Catholic theologians regarding the morality of same-sex sexual acts. In this paper I explore the contemporary scholarly debate concerning the morality of same-sex sexual acts, seeking the underlying areas of disagreement as well as avenues of inquiry that could propel the often-stalemated debate forward and suggest solutions to key controversies.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-grid, .site-grid__wrapper -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-section__content -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!--.site-section__inner -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-section -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"site-panel__tab-content-2\" class=\"site-panel__tab-content  \" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"panel panel-child panel--type-wysiwyg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section site-panel__wysiwyg panel panel-wysiwyg site-section__bg--default\" data-depth=\"1\" data-js-panel=\"wysiwyg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner l-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__content \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__wrapper site-grid__wrapper-stagger\" data-depth=\"0\" data-name=\"columns\" data-livetext>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__wysiwyg-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"t-content  site-section \" data-depth=\"0\" data-index=\"0\" data-autop=\"true\" data-name=\"column_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Students who are interested in applying for a Kent Johnson grant should write an email to the <a href=\"mailto:dmunoz@stolaf.edu\">Chair<\/a> with the following information:<\/p>\n<p>1. Title of the project and\/or the conference<br \/>\n2. Brief description of the project and\/or the conference<br \/>\n3. Significance of the project and\/or the conference for the student&#8217;s interests in philosophy<br \/>\n4. Estimated costs for funding the project and\/or trip to the conference<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, the Kent Johnson Fund sometimes supports relevant CURI projects in the Philosophy department. See \u201cFunded Research Projects\u201d on the Kent Johnson main page to learn about past CURI projects in the philosophy department.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about future CURI opportunities at the college:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"btn btn--sm site-footer__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/curi\/\">VISIT CURI<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-grid, .site-grid__wrapper -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-section__content -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!--.site-section__inner -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .site-section -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__wysiwyg panel panel-wysiwyg site-section__bg--white\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"wysiwyg\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner l-wrapper site-section__inner--top-padding-none site-section__inner--bottom-padding-none site-section__bg--white\">\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"site-section__content stagger-media-contained\">\n\t\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__wrapper site-grid__wrapper-stagger\"\n\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t data-name=\"columns\"\n\t\t\t data-livetext>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__wysiwyg-content\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"t-content c-tile\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-index=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-autop=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-name=\"column_content\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Kent Eric Johnson<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">1970 &#8211; 2017<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3082\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/kent-johnson-fund\/screen-shot-2020-08-03-at-2-07-31-pm\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-03-at-2.07.31-PM.png\" data-orig-size=\"484,620\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screen Shot 2020-08-03 at 2.07.31 PM\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-03-at-2.07.31-PM.png\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3082 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/files\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-03-at-2.07.31-PM-234x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WHY DO I WANT TO SUPPORT STUDENT RESEARCH?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After my son, Kent Johnson, died, it was important to me that he be remembered in a way that he would have appreciated.\u00a0 Setting up or contributing to an educational fund was the obvious choice.\u00a0 However, more than just a general fund, I wanted to honor Kent\u2019s love of learning and exploring challenging issues, that is, his love and dedication to research.\u00a0 He was always curious.\u00a0 His inquisitiveness lead him to look for answers to questions that puzzled him. \u00a0 As an undergraduate at St. Olaf College, he was encouraged to look for answers through researching the questions.\u00a0 Therefore, I have chosen to donate financially to the Philosophy Department at St. Olaf to enable other students to go beyond a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">desire <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for knowledge to delving into ideas to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">produce<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> knowledge, to go beyond thinking or believing in something to having the knowledge and evidence to explain those beliefs. \u00a0 Following are memories that I have of my son as a student in philosophy at St. Olaf who not only made research his profession, but used research to enrich his every-day life..<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kent\u2019s experience at St. Olaf occurred when the college still had the Paracollege, which was a perfect situation for him.\u00a0 He was a self-starter and an independent learner.\u00a0 The faculty recognized his insatiable desire to learn, provided guidance, and encouraged him to pursue the research necessary for him to either answer the questions he posed to them or to lead him to other questions in pursuit of an answer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the more important influences on his interest in research was spending a semester studying in England. Kent\u2019s letters reflected his thoughts regarding the program of study and research he determined and the conferences he had with professors, as he had no prescribed classes.\u00a0 He also made use of the time off from his studies to travel. \u00a0 Because of research he had done concerning ancient Greek, he located a monastery in Greece where a monk, an expert in that old language, lived.\u00a0 Kent spent several days in conversation with the monk, ultimately leaving with more knowledge about the subject and more information that would require diligent research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of the experiences at St. Olaf and because of the interest that his professors took in him, he decided to attend graduate school.\u00a0 Corliss Swain, a professor Kent mentioned many times, spent time and effort contacting people who she felt would keep him stimulated and challenged in terms of his interest in philosophy.\u00a0 On August 14, 1994, he left to attend the University of Florida to study philosophy.\u00a0 He valued his professors\u2019 expertise, becoming more confident in his ability to question various philosophers\u2019 thoughts that he had previously accepted.\u00a0 From there, he attended Rutgers University to further pursue studies and research in philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following is a summary of Kent\u2019s education and accomplishments.\u00a0 Before reading that, however, know that he wasn\u2019t just a serious scholar 24\/7.\u00a0 He was funny.\u00a0 He loved playing jokes on others.\u00a0 He had a dry sense of humor.\u00a0 He was a great water-skier.\u00a0 He worked out religiously at local gyms.\u00a0 He researched his Prius for a year before he bought it.\u00a0 And, a great pleasure, he would write in bed using a hospital tray.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kent Johnson graduated from St. Olaf in 1994 with a B.A. in philosophy and ancient languages and went on to earn an M.A in philosophy from the University of Florida in 1996 and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Rutgers University in 2001.\u00a0 From 2001-2017 he taught, engaged in research and wrote while in the Logic and Philosophy of Science Department at the University of California-Irvine.\u00a0 His publications appeared in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nous, Mind and Language, Philosophical Psychology, Language Sciences <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Philosophy of Science.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 The articles highlighted his research and expertise in statistical methodology, modeling, and probabilistic inference, as well as his interests in philosophy of language, philosophy of psychology, and cognitive science.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kathleen S. Sernak<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 (St. Olaf, 1965)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid, .site-grid__wrapper -->\n\t<\/div> <!-- site-section__content -->\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__micronavbutton panel panel-micronavbutton site-section__bg--normal\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"micronavbutton\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t    <div class=\"site-section__inner site-section__inner--top-padding-none site-section__inner--bottom-padding-none micronavbutton\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__no-gutters\"\n\t     data-depth=\"0\"\n\t     data-name=\"buttons\"\n\t     data-livetext\n\t>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"site-panel__micronavbtn-btn u-bc-cranberry\"\n\t\t\t\t   \thref=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/majors-concentrations-2\/\"\n\t\t\t\t   \ttarget=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"site-panel__micronavbtn-btn-label\">Majors &amp; Concentration<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"site-panel__micronavbtn-btn-desc\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"site-panel__micronavbtn-btn u-bc-teal\"\n\t\t\t\t   \thref=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/student-activities-and-organizations\/\"\n\t\t\t\t   \ttarget=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"site-panel__micronavbtn-btn-label\">Student Activities and Organizations<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"site-panel__micronavbtn-btn-desc\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\n\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid -->\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3511,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4907","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3511"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4907"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4924,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4907\/revisions\/4924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}