University of Houston Philosophy Grad Student Page

The Philosophy Department is deeply saddened to note the passing of Professor Emeritus Bredo Johnsen who died in Houston on January 22.

Bredo was born in 1939 and grew up in Vermont. He earned his MA in philosophy at Wayne State during that department’s golden age in the early 1960s and went on to get his PhD from Harvard.

He took up a position in philosophy at UH in 1967, staying till his retirement in 2015. He was department chair for 15 years. Together with his colleagues and friends Bob Yoes and Bill Nelson he set the trajectory of the department from the 1970s into the 2000s, developing an enduring tradition of collegiality and excellence. He also served as Associate Provost and as President of the Faculty Senate.

His teaching and research centered in epistemology. He had an extraordinary record of publication in the most selective journals in the discipline. His final major work was his monograph, Righting Epistemology: Hume’s Revolution, published by Oxford University Press in 2017.

Bredo was a man of many parts and multiple enthusiasms: a classical music afficionado, an impressively competitive marathon runner, a connoisseur of good writing and fine wine, a devoted friend, and someone you definitely wanted on your side in an academic dust-up.

He will be mourned by generations of colleagues, students and friends whose lives were enriched by their connections with his.