Philosophy of Medicine/Biology

Ethics

Kevin Brosnan is a philosopher in the Department of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University with a background in evolutionary ethics, where his early work defended moral realism against skeptical challenges rooted in evolutionary biology.

In recent years, his interests have shifted toward conceptual and methodological questions in clinical medicine and epidemiology — particularly debates about causal inference, evidence hierarchies, and the relationship between clinical practice and public health. I believe that scientists and philosophers often work at cross-purposes: scientists tackle problems of real practical importance without always examining their conceptual foundations, while philosophers examine those foundations without always keeping practical stakes in view. His goal is to bridge that gap, and he finds the Honors College an ideal setting for exactly that kind of integrative thinking.