Senior Lecturer
- About
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CB104, College Bounds, High Street, Aberdeen.
Biography
I am a philosopher researching the philosophy of artificial intelligence, particularly in relation to social robots. My background is in the philosophy of language and philosophy of time. I am currently the Head of the School of Divinity, History, Philosophy and Art History.
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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I am currently the Head of the School of Divinity, History, Philosophy and Art History.
- External Memberships
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I am a member of the AHRC Peer Review College, an elected board member of the British Philosophical Association and an appointed trustee of the trust associated with Thought: A Journal of Philosophy.
I am an external examiner at Lancaster University and the University of St Andrews.
Latest Publications
Why indirect harms do not support social robot rights
Minds and Machines, vol. 32, pp. 735–749Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTrusting Social Robots
AI and EthicsContributions to Journals: ArticlesA fictional dualism model of social robots
Ethics and Information Technology, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 465-472Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMourning the death of Michael Besso: Eternalism as therapy
Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 102, no. 3, pp. 504-514Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCommentary to the Commission’s proposal for the “AI Act” – Response to selected issues
Non-textual Forms: Web Publications and Websites- [ONLINE] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12527-Artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-legal-requirements/F2665397_en
- [ONLINE] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12527-Artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-legal-requirements_en
Prizes and Awards
I was co-investigator on the Leverhulme Trust funded project, Relativism and Rational Tolerance, with Professor Crispin Wright.
- Research
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Research Overview
After my PhD I continued to work in philosophy of language, philosophy of logic and philosophy of time. I am now working on research in philosophy of AI, particularly regarding the role of social robots in society.
Research Specialisms
- Philosophy
- Artificial Intelligence
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
My current research is in the area of the philosophy of AI, particularly concerning social robots.
Supervision
I can offer supervision in the following areas:
- Philosophy of AI--particularly in relation to social robots.
- Philosophy of time.
- Some areas of philosophy of language--particularly contextualism, relativism and Wittgenstein.
- Some areas of philosophy of logic--particularly vagueness.
Funding and Grants
I was a co-investigator on the AHRC-funded project, Contextualism and Relativism.
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
2020
Ethical and Legal aspects of Artificial Intelligence.
Feminist Philosophy
2019
PH3006 Contemporary Topics in Philosophy
2017
PH1027 Controversial Questions
2016
Semester One
PH1027 Controversial Questions
SX1018 Logic, Language and Information
Semester Two
PH353Z/PH454Z Philosophy of time
2015
Semester One
PH1027 Controversial Questions
PH3094/PH4094 Wittgenstein
Semester Two
PH2529 Life Death and Meaning
2014
Semester One
PH1027 Controversial Questions
Semester Two
PH352F Independent Study
PH1523 Experience, Knowledge and Reality
- Publications
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Page 1 of 2 Results 1 to 10 of 13
Why indirect harms do not support social robot rights
Minds and Machines, vol. 32, pp. 735–749Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTrusting Social Robots
AI and EthicsContributions to Journals: ArticlesA fictional dualism model of social robots
Ethics and Information Technology, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 465-472Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMourning the death of Michael Besso: Eternalism as therapy
Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 102, no. 3, pp. 504-514Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCommentary to the Commission’s proposal for the “AI Act” – Response to selected issues
Non-textual Forms: Web Publications and Websites- [ONLINE] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12527-Artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-legal-requirements/F2665397_en
- [ONLINE] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12527-Artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-legal-requirements_en
Nostalgia reconsidered
Ratio, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 184-190Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/rati.12272
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/14878/1/Sweeney_etal_rati_Nostalgia_VOR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The Role of the Sentence-Tokened
Grazer Philosophische Studien, vol. 93, no. 3, pp. 419-428Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe No-Proposition View of Vagueness
Grazer Philosophische Studien, vol. 93, no. 2, pp. 179-195Contributions to Journals: ArticlesFuture contingents, indeterminacy and context
Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 96, no. 3, pp. 408-422Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/papq.12077
Contextualism and the principle of tolerance
Grazer Philosophische Studien, vol. 90, no. 1, pp. 289-306Contributions to Journals: Articles
