b. 1947
Michael J. Zimmerman is a contemporary analytic philosopher best known for his work in moral philosophy, particularly on intrinsic value, moral responsibility, and the ethics of ignorance. He is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has made significant contributions to debates about what we ought to do under conditions of uncertainty. His scholarship bridges metaethics and normative theory, with sustained attention to epistemic dimensions of moral obligation.
Developed an influential account of intrinsic value in 'The Nature of Intrinsic Value' (2001)
Advanced the view that moral obligation is sensitive to epistemic conditions in 'Living with Uncertainty' (2008)
Contributed systematically to the theory of moral responsibility and blameworthiness
Argued for 'prospective' rather than retrospective accounts of moral duty
Authored 'Ignorance and Moral Obligation' (2014), extending his epistemic ethics framework
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