John Horty

John Horty is a Distinguished University Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Maryland, with affiliate appointments in the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and the Computer Science Department. His research integrates logic, artificial intelligence, ethics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of law to address complex questions in human cognition, legal systems, and normative reasoning.

Horty holds a BA in Classics and Philosophy from Oberlin College and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. He has authored four books and over 40 papers, exploring topics such as defeasible reasoning, stit semantics, and the open texture of legal language.

• Education: BA (Oberlin College), PhD (University of Pittsburgh)
• Research Interests: Logic, artificial intelligence, ethics, epistemology, philosophy of law, and philosophy of language.
• Article Trends: Focus on computational legal reasoning, default logic, stit semantics, and the intersection of law and nonmonotonic logic.

Scientific Awards and Grants:

• Humboldt Research Award
• Three National Endowment for Humanities Fellowships
• Visiting Fellowships at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies and Stanford’s Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences
• Carole Hafner Best Paper Award (2017), Honorable Mention at AAAI-87
• NSF Grants for interdisciplinary research

Teaching and Affiliations

• Teaches courses in symbolic logic, legal reasoning, and defeasible reasoning
• Affiliate in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and the Computer Science Department