Hi! I am a philosopher, Chair of Ethics at the University of Bayreuth, and President of the International Network for Economic Method. Previously, I was an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics. I am also an External Member of the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, and remain a Visiting Professor at LSE.
News: I am pleased to share that I won the 2024 Elizabeth D. Rockwell Prize for Best Article on Ethics, Leadership and Public Policy.
I work on ethics, philosophy of public policy, decision theory and economic methodology. For a glimpse of my work, you can watch this video, listen to this talk, read this this interview, listen to this podcast (in German), or check out some of my popular writing:
- “On the Ethics of Boycotts”
- “Can Welfare Economics Avoid Paternalism after the Behavioural Turn?”
- “The Dangers of Single Metric Accounting”
- “How should artificial agents make risky choices on our behalf?”
- “Negotiating with myself”
Or click on my research page to find out more!
My late husband Marius Backmann died in 2025 and was also a philosopher.
Johanna Thoma 