I’ve always loved the fact that John Arras takes everything he works on so seriously. In my own area, that has meant that no critic of the idea of pragmatic bioethics has been more careful, thoughtful or imaginative. But he’s also a good teacher, a nice guy, and dedicated to the field. His textbook with Bonnie Steinbock and Alex London is one of the best selling books in the history of the field and has been used by literally tens of thousands of undergraduates. This week he was honored by the Governor of Virginia as an Oustanding Faculty member in that state’s universities.