Personal profile

Personal profile

My primary interest is in metaphilosophical issues that arise from reflections on the nature of knowledge and of the knower; that is to say, with how our theorizing about cognition relates to our understanding of what sort of creatures we are and what that in turn reveals to us about the purposes of philosophical reflection. Initially, this was expressed through work on scepticism and tacit knowledge/expertise/know-how, articulated from a broadly pragmatist standpoint. More recently I became interested in the relationship between pragmatism and so-called “conceptual engineering”. This led to work on an account of religious belief that renders it consistent with atheism/agnosticism and ongoing attempts to understand the significance of contestations over concepts relating to sex/gender. I'm working on a Euro-centric conception of pragmatism.

Research interests

Metaphilosophy; Scepticism; Euro/Pragmatism; Conceptual Engineering/Change; Religious Belief; Sex/Gender distinctions; Stupidity

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality