Jimmy Lenman

School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities

Professor of Philosophy

Library Officer

Jimmy Lenman stood outside HRI building
Profile picture of Jimmy Lenman stood outside HRI building
j.lenman@sheffield.ac.uk
9 Mappin Street

Full contact details

Jimmy Lenman
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
9 Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 4DT
Profile

I am a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the ±¬ÁÏTV. Before coming here, I was a schoolboy in Dundee, Scotland; then an undergraduate student at St Catherine's College, Oxford University reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics; then a graduate student at St Andrews University studying for an M.Phil. and then a PhD in Moral Philosophy; then a Lecturer at Lancaster University and lastly a Lecturer then Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow.

In 2002-2003 I was a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Ethics and the Professions at Harvard University. When not at work, I can sometimes be found wandering around on .

Qualifications
BA (Oxon), PPE, M.Phil. (St Andrews), Moral Philosophy, PhD (St Andrews) Philosophy
Research interests

I work mainly on ethics and especially metaethics. My recent work has dealt with issues relating to moral realism, moral expressivism, moral psychology, moral epistemology, and moral responsibility, compatibilism, consequentialism, contractualism, constructivism and contingency.

I find some other bits of philosophy interesting too.

Current project

The Possibility of Moral Community.

Publications

Books

  • Bramble B & Lenman J (2025) Should We Maximize Utility? A Debate about Utilitarianism. Taylor & Francis.
  • Lenman J (2024) . Oxford University PressOxford.
  • (2012) . Oxford University Press.

Edited books

  • Lenman J & Shemmer Y (Ed.) (2012) Constructivism in Practical Philosophy. Oxford University Press.

Journal articles

  • Lenman JW (2019) . The Philosophical Quarterly, 69(274), 175-186.
  • Lenman J (2018) . Metafísica y persona(19), 181-188.
  • Lenman JW (2017) . Analysis, 77(3), 586-595.
  • Lenman JW (2016) . Journal of Applied Philosophy.
  • Lenman JW (2016) Why Externalism is a Problem for Ethical Intiutionists. Methods in Ethics, Aristotelian Society, 3, 323-326.
  • Lenman J (2016) . Language, 92(4), 1000-1001.
  • Lenman J (2016) . Economics and Philosophy, 32(1), 143-149.
  • Lenman JW (2014) . Journal of Value Inquiry, 48(2), 235-245.
  • Lenman JW (2014) . Philosophical Studies, 168(3), 835-842.
  • Lenman J (2013) . Ethics, 123(3), 586-592.
  • Lenman J (2013) . The Philosophical Quarterly, 63(251), 384-387.
  • Lenman JW (2013) . Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement, 72, 261-274.
  • Lenman JW (2013) . Ratio, 26(4), 391-409.
  • Lenman J (2011) . Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 14(2), 143-149.
  • Lenman JW (2010) . Philosophical Studies, 151(3), 469-477.
  • Lenman JW (2009) . Philosophical Perspectives, 23(1), 293-304.
  • Lenman JW (2009) . Ratio, 22(1), 1-18.
  • Lenman J (2009) ACHIEVING OBJECTIVITY. PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES, 23, 293-304.
  • Lenman JW (2008) . The Philosophical Quarterly, 58(231), 353-362.
  • Lenman JW (2008) . Politics Philosophy Economics, 7(1), 99-122.
  • Lenman JW (2008) . Philosophical Books, 49(1), 23-32.
  • Lenman J (2007) . Mind, 116(463), 776-778.
  • Lenman JW (2007) . Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume, 81(1), 63-81.
  • Lenman JW (2007) . Ratio, 20(2), 241-246.
  • Lenman JW (2006) . Ethics, 117(1), 7-31.
  • Lenman J (2006) . Journal of Moral Philosophy, 3(3), 359-369.
  • Lenman JW (2005) The Saucer of Mud, The Kudzu Vine and the Uxorious Cheetah: Against Neo-Aristotelian Naturalism in Metaethics. European Journal of Analytic Philosophy, 1(2), 37-50.
  • Lenman J (2004) . Utilitas, 16(3), 322-325.
  • Lenman J (2003) . The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 41(2), 223-240.
  • Lenman J (2003) . Utilitas, 15(3), 380-382.
  • Lenman J (2003) Disciplined Syntacticism and Moral Expressivism. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 66(1), 32-57.
  • Lenman J (2003) Noncognitivism and Wishfulness. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 6(3), 265-274.
  • Kirchin S & Lenman J (2003) . Philosophical Books, 44(2), 179-183.
  • Lenman J (2002) . Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 83(3), 207-299.
  • Lenman J (2001) . Journal of Applied Philosophy, 18(1), 1-11.
  • Lenman J (2000) , 29(4), 342-370.
  • Lenman J (1999) Michael Smith and the daleks: reason, morality, and contingency. Utilitas, 11(2), 164-177.
  • Lenman J (1999) . Philosophia, 27(3-4), 441-457.
  • Lenman J (1998) . Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 1(4), 487-488.
  • Lenman J (1998) . Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 1(1), 125-126.

Book chapters

  • Lenman J (2023) Reasons for pretending and pretend reasons In Joyce R & Brock S (Ed.), Moral Fictionalism and Religious Fictionalism (pp. 21-39). Oxford University Press
  • Lenman J (2023) Making Sense of Ethics: An Introduction to Metaethics In Engelen B & Sie M (Ed.), Second Thoughts First Introductions to Philosophy Open Press Tilberg University
  • Lenman J (2020) In Suikkanen J & Kauppinen A (Ed.), Methodology and Moral Philosophy Routledge (Taylor & Francis)
  • Lenman J (2019) In Cowie C & Rowland R (Ed.), Companions in Guilt Arguments in Metaethics Routledge (Taylor & Francis)
  • Lenman JW (2018) In Berqvist A & Cowans R (Ed.), Evaluative Perception Oxford University Press
  • Lenman JW (2015) In Daly C (Ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Philosophical Methods (pp. 637-651). Palgrave MacMillan
  • Lenman JW (2015) Scepticism about Intuition In Chappell SG (Ed.), Intuition, Theory and Anti-Theory in Ethics (pp. 24-39). Oxford University Press
  • Lenman J (2015) , The Palgrave Handbook of Philosophical Methods (pp. 637-651). Palgrave Macmillan UK
  • Lenman J (2014) (pp. 41-59). Wiley
  • Lenman J & Shemmer Y (2012) In Lenman J & Shemmer Y (Ed.), Constructivism in Practical Philosophy (pp. 1-17). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lenman JW (2012) Expressivism and Constructivism In Lenman J & Shemmer Y (Ed.), Constructivism in Practical Philosophy (pp. 213-225). Oxford University Press
  • Lenman JW (2010) "Humean Constructivism in Moral Theory", Oxford Studies in Metaethics, Volume 5 (pp. 175-193). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lenman JW (2009) The Politics of the Self In Bortolotti L (Ed.), Philosophy and Happiness London: Palgrave MacMillan.
  • Lenman J (2000) Contracting Responsibility In van den Beld T (Ed.), Moral Responsibility and Ontology (pp. 171-182). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
  • Lenman J () , The Palgrave Handbook of Philosophical Methods Palgrave Macmillan
  • Lenman J () , Essays on Derek Parfit'sOn What Matters (pp. 21-38). Wiley-Blackwell

Book reviews

  • Lenman J () Review of Amy Olberding: The Wrong of Rudeness: Learning Modern Civility from Ancient Chinese Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. 198pp., 9780190880965, US $40.99 (Hb). Journal of Value Inquiry.

Digital content

  • Lenman JW (2009) Reasons for Action: Justification vs. Explanation. Retrieved from
Research group

Current PhD students:

  • Linton Newton,
  • James Welch,
  • Ume Hussain 


Previous PhD students: 

  • Jingbo Hu, Moral Responsibility. Completed 2020.
  • Lewis Brooks, Metaethics. Completed 2019.
  • , Metaethics. Completed 2018.
  • , Metaethics, Completed 2016.
  • , Contractualism, Completed 2014.
  • , War (AHRC funded), Completed 2014.
  • Josh Thomas, Ethics. Completed 2012.
  • David Ekstrand, Political Justification, Completed 2011.
  • Heather Arnold, Justice and the Family (AHRC funded). Completed, 2010.
  • Jonathan Smith, Moral Realism (AHRC funded). Completed, 2009.
  • , Wellbeing and Death (AHRC funded). Completed, 2008.
  • Autonomy (AHRC funded). Completed, 2008.
  • Anna Wilkinson: Moral Naturalism (AHRC funded) Completed, 2007.
Teaching interests

Research Interests

Metaethics. Normantive Ethics. History of Philosophy, especially Early Confucian Chinese Philosophy, Plato.

Teaching Interests

Plato, Aristotle's ethics, Ancient Chinese Philosophy especially Early Confucianism. Burke, Paine and the Debate on the French Revolution, Ethical Theory. Free will and Responsibility.    
 

Professional activities and memberships
  • Editorial Committee,
  • Utilitas. Clinical Ethics Committee,
  • Sheffield Children's Hospital. 
  • Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship, 2025-2028.
  • Honorary Life Member, British Society for Ethical Theory

Links