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Robert J. Hartman

I am a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at Tulane University in New Orleans (2021-).

Previously, I was a visiting research professor and faculty fellow at the Center for Ethics and Public Affairs within the Murphy Institute at Tulane University (2020-2021). I also held postdoctoral research fellowships at Stockholm University, Sweden, with the philosophy department (January 2019-August 2020) and at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, with the Lund-Gothenburg Responsibility Project (February 2017-December 2018).

I earned my PhD in philosophy from St. Louis University (May 2016).

Email: roberthartman122@gmail.com


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RESEARCH

My research interests are in ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. I have published extensively on moral luck; currently, I am writing a monograph on character and moral responsibility as well as a series of papers about character, free will, and the afterlife.

BOOKS

In Defense of Moral Luck: Why Luck Often Affects Praiseworthiness and Blameworthiness (Routledge, 2017)

In this monograph, I defend the thesis that certain kinds of luck in results, circumstance, and character can partially determine the praise and blame a person deserves.

Book Description / Endorsements

Sample Chapter

The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy and Psychology of Luck, edited with Ian M. Church (Routledge, 2019)

The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy and Psychology of Luck: 1st Edition (Hardback) book cover

This interdisciplinary handbook explores the history of luck, the nature of luck, moral luck, epistemic luck, the psychology of luck, and future research on luck.

Book Description / Endorsements

ConTributor List

PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY

Moral Luck, Aeon (2017)

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ACADEMIC ARTICLES

Heavenly Freedom and Two Models of Character Perfection

Faith and Philosophy (forthcoming)

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Free Will and Moral Luck

A Companion to Free Will (forthcoming)

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Concomitant Ignorance Excuses from Moral Responsibility

Thought (2021)

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Consequentialism and Virtue, with Joshua W. Bronson

The Handbook of Virtue and Virtue Ethics (2021)

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Indirectly Free Actions, Libertarianism, and Resultant Moral Luck

Erkenntnis (2020)

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Against the Character Solution to the Problem of Moral Luck

Australasian Journal of Philosophy (2020)

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Moral Luck and the Unfairness of Morality (Awarded the Routledge, Taylor & Francis Prize by the APA)

Philosophical Studies (2019)

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Kant Does Not Deny Resultant Moral Luck

Midwest Studies in Philosophy (2019)

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Accepting Moral Luck

The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy and Psychology of Luck (2019)

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Luck: An Introduction, with Ian M. Church 

The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy and Psychology of Luck (2019)

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Constitutive Moral Luck and Strawson’s Argument for the Impossibility of Moral Responsibility 

Journal of the American Philosophical Association (2018)

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Armstrong on Probabilistic Laws of Nature, with Jonathan D. Jacobs

Philosophical Papers (2017)

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Counterfactuals of Freedom and the Luck Objection to Libertarianism

Journal of Philosophical Research (2017)

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Against Luck-Free Moral Responsibility

Philosophical Studies (2016)

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Utilitarian Moral Virtue, Admiration, and Luck

Philosophia (2015)

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How to Apply Molinism to the Theological Problem of Moral Luck

Faith and Philosophy (2014)

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Involuntary Belief and the Command to Have Faith

International Journal for Philosophy of Religion (2011)

JOURNAL Website

BOOK REVIEWS

Manipulated Agents: A Window into Moral Responsibility, by Alfred R. Mele

Journal of Moral Philosophy (2020)

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Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming, by Agnes Callard

Philosophical Quarterly (2019)

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Responsible Belief: A Theory in Ethics and Epistemology, by Rik Peels

Ethics (2018)

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TEACHING

I have broad teaching interests in ethics, metaphysics, free will and moral responsibility, biomedical ethics, moral psychology, epistemology, philosophy of religion, and logic as well as in the history of philosophy.

Classes Taught

  • Ethics (8x)
  • Introduction to Philosophy (2x)
  • Logic and Critical Thinking (2x)
  • Philosophy of Religion (upper division)
  • Christian Worldview
  • Philosophy and Theology in CS Lewis’s Narnia Series (interim course)

Student Resources

Philosophy Students Ask Valuable Questions

  • Does God exist?
  • Do we have free will?
  • What makes actions right and wrong?
  • What is the good life?
  • What makes life meaningful?
  • How do the mind and body relate?
  • What does it mean to be the same person over time?
  • What distinguishes mere true belief from knowledge?
  • *Disclaimer* The opinions expressed in these videos and podcasts do not necessarily reflect my own.

More Benefits of Studying Philosophy

  • The value of the humanities.
  • Philosophy majors earn well.
  • Philosophy majors find employment.
  • What you can do with philosophy.
  • Philosophy majors outperform all other majors on the GRE and score excellently on the LSAT and GMAT.

Affiliation Links

Scholarly Links