John W. Carlson

John W. (Jack) Carlson is Professor of Philosophy at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1970; since that time has served as a faculty member and administrator at a number of U.S. Catholic institutions.

His scholarly work and writing focus on the "perennial tradition" of philosophy, especially as articulated by St. Thomas Aquinas and his followers. Inspiration for these projects comes from John Paul II's "Fides et ratio," which called for a renewal of the perennial tradition and its fuller incorporation in Catholic theology.

In addition to the recently published philosophical dictionary, Words of Wisdom (Notre Dame, 2012), and the earlier textbook of speculative philosophy, Understanding Our Being (Catholic University, 2008), Carlson is completing a textbook of ethics titled Achieving the Good. This work re-articulates the perennial approach to ethical theory, then applies it to a range of concrete moral topics (regarding human sexuality, beginning- and end-of-life issues, social and economic justice, environmentalism, and war and peace).

Carlson and his wife, Chris, have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.