David Lamont Paulsen is an emeritus professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University, where, from 1994 to 1998, he held the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding.

Professor Paulsen received an associate’s degree from Snow College in English, a bachelor’s degree from BYU in political science (graduating that year as BYU’s valedictorian), a JD from the Law School of the University of Chicago in 1964, and then, after several years spent as a practicing attorney, a PhD in philosophy from the University of Michigan in 1975, with emphasis in the philosophy of religion.