b. 1965
Timothy O'Connor is a contemporary American philosopher specializing in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of religion. He is best known for his work on agent causation and free will, as well as cosmological arguments for theism. O'Connor has made significant contributions to debates on emergence, consciousness, and the relationship between science and religion.
Developed a leading contemporary account of agent causation in his book Persons and Causes (2000)
Contributed to cosmological arguments for theism, distinguishing them from ontological approaches
Advanced emergentist accounts of mind and consciousness
Authored Theism and Ultimate Explanation (2008), arguing for a necessary being grounding contingent reality
Contributed to debates connecting free will with ethics and metaphysics