Dr Emma Gordon

  • Lecturer in Applied Ethics (Philosophy)

email: Emma.Gordon@glasgow.ac.uk

Room 403 (Level 4), Philosophy, 67-69 Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8LP

Import to contacts

Biography

You can find my personal website here.

 

I am a Lecturer in Applied Ethics in the Philosophy department at the University of Glasgow, and Head of Interdisciplinary Research at the Cogito Epistemology Research Centre. Before this, I was a research fellow at the Eidyn Research Centre, University of Edinburgh.

 

My main research interests are in applied ethics (bioethics, neuroethics,  medical ethics, environmental ethics, ethics of technology, ethics of gender and race), normative ethics (moral psychology, trust, emotions, wellbeing), and epistemology (understanding, social epistemology, intellectual virtues and vices, assertion). My work is often interdisciplinary, combining philosophy with medicine (including pharmacology, dependence and addiction) and psychology (including counselling and psychotherapy).

 

My first monograph Human Enhancement and Well-Being: A Case for Optimism can be ordered from Routledge here (forthcoming 2022).

 

You can contact me at emma.gordon@glasgow.ac.uk

Research interests

Areas of Specialisation

  • Applied ethics (bioethics, neuroethics, human enhancement, medical ethics, environmental ethics, ethics of technology)
  • Normative ethics (moral psychology, trust, emotions, wellbeing)
  • Epistemology (understanding, social epistemology, intellectual virtues and vices, assertion).

 

Areas of Competence

  • Philosophy of emotion, political philosophy, philosophy of psychology, gender and race.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
Number of items: 38.

2024

Gordon, E. C. (2024) Human enhancement and augmented reality. Philosophy and Technology, 37, 17. (doi: 10.1007/s13347-024-00702-6)

Gordon, E. C. (2024) Gender, race, and moral enhancement. In: Edwards, M. L. and Palermos, S. O. (eds.) Feminist Philosophy and Emerging Technologies. Series: Routledge studies in contemporary philosophy. Routledge: New York, pp. 56-73. ISBN 9781032229201 (doi: 10.4324/9781003275992-5)

2023

Gordon, E. C. and Ragonese, V. (2023) Cognitive and moral enhancement: a practical proposal. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 40(3), pp. 474-487. (doi: 10.1111/japp.12619)

Gordon, E. C. (2023) Understanding of the norm of political discourse. Synthese, 201(6), 198. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-023-04183-6)

Gordon, E. C. and Willis, R. J. (2023) Pharmacological cognitive enhancement and the value of achievements: an intervention. Bioethics, 37(2), pp. 130-134. (doi: 10.1111/bioe.13107) (PMID:36399109)

Gordon, E. C. and Dodds, C. (2023) High altitude, enhancement, and the ‘spirit of sport’. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 50(1), pp. 63-82. (doi: 10.1080/00948705.2023.2168679)

2022

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Human Enhancement and Well-Being: A Case for Optimism. Series: Routledge research in applied ethics. Routledge. ISBN 9780367702205 (doi: 10.4324/9781003147992)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Virtual reality and technologically mediated love. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 32(4), pp. 329-357. (doi: 10.1353/ken.2022.0027)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) When monitoring facilitates trust. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 25(4), pp. 557-571. (doi: 10.1007/s10677-022-10286-9)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Trust and psychedelic moral enhancement. Neuroethics, 15(2), 19. (doi: 10.1007/s12152-022-09497-9)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Cognitive enhancement and authenticity: moving beyond the impasse. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 25(2), pp. 281-288. (doi: 10.1007/s11019-022-10075-2) (PMID:35471685) (PMCID:PMC9135843)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) The ethics of cognitive enhancement. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, (Accepted for Publication)

2021

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. and Grodniewicz, J.P. (2021) Understanding a communicated thought. Synthese, 198(12), pp. 12137-12151. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-020-02854-2)

Gordon, E. C. and Dunn, L. (2021) Pharmacological cognitive enhancement and cheapened achievement: a new dilemma. Neuroethics, 14(3), pp. 409-421. (doi: 10.1007/s12152-021-09477-5)

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. C., Kelp, C. , Lyons, J. C. and Simion, M. (Eds.) (2021) Epistemology. Philosophical Topics. 49(2) [Edited Journal]

Simion, M. I. , Schnurr, J. and Gordon, E. C. (2021) Epistemic norms, closure, and no-Belief hinge epistemology. Synthese, 198(15), pp. 3553-3564. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-019-02165-1)

Gordon, E. C. (2021) Elgin on understanding: How does it involve know-how, endorsement and factivity? Synthese, 198(6), pp. 4955-4972. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-019-02381-9)

2020

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2020) Intellectual humility and assertion. In: Alfano, M., Lynch, M. P. and Tanesini, A. (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Humility. Series: Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy. Routledge: Oxon, UK, pp. 335-345. ISBN 9780815364115

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. (2020) Is searching the internet making us intellectually arrogant? In: Tanesini, A. and Lynch, M. P. (eds.) Polarisation, Arrogance, and Dogmatism: Philosophical Perspectives. Routledge, pp. 88-103. ISBN 9780367260859 (doi: 10.4324/9780429291395-9)

2018

Gordon, E. C. (2018) Intellectual humility, spirituality and counselling. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 46(4), pp. 279-291. (doi: 10.1177/0091647118807185)

2017

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. C. and Jarvis, B. W. (Eds.) (2017) Knowledge First: Approaches in Epistemology and Mind. Oxford University Press: Oxford. ISBN 9780198716310

Carter, J. .A. , Gordon, E. C. and Jarvis, B. W. (2017) Knowledge-first: an introduction. In: Carter, J. A., Gordon, E. C. and Jarvis, B. W. (eds.) Knowledge-First: Approaches in Epistemology and Mind. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, pp. 1-18. ISBN 9780198716310 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198716310.003.0001)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (Eds.) (2017) The Moral Psychology of Pride. Series: Moral psychology of the emotions. Rowman and Littlefield: London. ISBN 9781783489084

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2017) The moral psychology of pride: an introduction. In: Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (eds.) The Moral Psychology of Pride. Series: Moral psychology of the emotions. Rowan & Liitlefield: London, UK, pp. 1-11. ISBN 9781783489084

Gordon, E. (2017) Is fundamentalism just a problem for religious people? In: Harris, M. and Pritchard, D. (eds.) Philosophy, Science and Religion for Everyone. Routledge: Abingdon, UK, pp. 93-104. ISBN 9781138234154 (doi: 10.4324/9781315102474-10)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2017) Googled assertion. Philosophical Psychology, 30(4), pp. 490-501. (doi: 10.1080/09515089.2017.1285395)

Gordon, E. C. (2017) Understanding in epistemology. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

2016

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2016) Objectual understanding, factivity and belief. In: Grajner, M. and Schmechtig, P. (eds.) Epistemic Reasons, Norms and Goals. De Gruyter, pp. 423-442. ISBN 9783110496345 (doi: 10.1515/9783110496765-020)

Gordon, E. C. (2016) Social epistemology and the acquisition of understanding. In: Ammon, S. R., Baumberger, C. and Grimm, S. (eds.) Explaining Understanding: New Perspectives from Epistemology and Philosophy of Science. Routledge: New York, NY, pp. 293-317. ISBN 9781138921931

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2016) Knowledge, assertion and intellectual humility. Logos and Episteme, 7(4), pp. 489-502. (doi: 10.5840/logos-episteme20167444)

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. C. and Palermos, S. O. (2016) Extended emotion. Philosophical Psychology, 29(2), pp. 198-217. (doi: 10.1080/09515089.2015.1063596)

2015

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2015) On cognitive and moral enhancement: a reply to Savulescu and Persson. Bioethics, 29(3), pp. 153-161. (doi: 10.1111/bioe.12076)

2014

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2014) Openmindedness and truth. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 44(2), pp. 207-224. (doi: 10.1080/00455091.2014.923247)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2014) A new maneuver against the epistemic relativist. Synthese, 191(8), pp. 1683-1695. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-013-0357-2)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2014) Objectual understanding and the value problem. American Philosophical Quarterly, 51(1), pp. 1-13.

2013

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2013) Intelligence, wellbeing and procreative beneficence. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 30(2), pp. 122-135. (doi: 10.1111/japp.12011)

2012

Gordon, E. C. (2012) Is there propositional understanding? Logos and Episteme, 3(2), pp. 181-192.

2011

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2011) Norms of assertion: the quantity and quality of epistemic support. Philosophia, 39(4), pp. 615-635. (doi: 10.1007/s11406-011-9317-6)

This list was generated on Sat Apr 20 03:05:00 2024 BST.
Jump to: Articles | Books | Book Sections | Edited Books | Edited Journals
Number of items: 38.

Articles

Gordon, E. C. (2024) Human enhancement and augmented reality. Philosophy and Technology, 37, 17. (doi: 10.1007/s13347-024-00702-6)

Gordon, E. C. and Ragonese, V. (2023) Cognitive and moral enhancement: a practical proposal. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 40(3), pp. 474-487. (doi: 10.1111/japp.12619)

Gordon, E. C. (2023) Understanding of the norm of political discourse. Synthese, 201(6), 198. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-023-04183-6)

Gordon, E. C. and Willis, R. J. (2023) Pharmacological cognitive enhancement and the value of achievements: an intervention. Bioethics, 37(2), pp. 130-134. (doi: 10.1111/bioe.13107) (PMID:36399109)

Gordon, E. C. and Dodds, C. (2023) High altitude, enhancement, and the ‘spirit of sport’. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 50(1), pp. 63-82. (doi: 10.1080/00948705.2023.2168679)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Virtual reality and technologically mediated love. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 32(4), pp. 329-357. (doi: 10.1353/ken.2022.0027)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) When monitoring facilitates trust. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 25(4), pp. 557-571. (doi: 10.1007/s10677-022-10286-9)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Trust and psychedelic moral enhancement. Neuroethics, 15(2), 19. (doi: 10.1007/s12152-022-09497-9)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Cognitive enhancement and authenticity: moving beyond the impasse. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 25(2), pp. 281-288. (doi: 10.1007/s11019-022-10075-2) (PMID:35471685) (PMCID:PMC9135843)

Gordon, E. C. (2022) The ethics of cognitive enhancement. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, (Accepted for Publication)

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. and Grodniewicz, J.P. (2021) Understanding a communicated thought. Synthese, 198(12), pp. 12137-12151. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-020-02854-2)

Gordon, E. C. and Dunn, L. (2021) Pharmacological cognitive enhancement and cheapened achievement: a new dilemma. Neuroethics, 14(3), pp. 409-421. (doi: 10.1007/s12152-021-09477-5)

Simion, M. I. , Schnurr, J. and Gordon, E. C. (2021) Epistemic norms, closure, and no-Belief hinge epistemology. Synthese, 198(15), pp. 3553-3564. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-019-02165-1)

Gordon, E. C. (2021) Elgin on understanding: How does it involve know-how, endorsement and factivity? Synthese, 198(6), pp. 4955-4972. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-019-02381-9)

Gordon, E. C. (2018) Intellectual humility, spirituality and counselling. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 46(4), pp. 279-291. (doi: 10.1177/0091647118807185)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2017) Googled assertion. Philosophical Psychology, 30(4), pp. 490-501. (doi: 10.1080/09515089.2017.1285395)

Gordon, E. C. (2017) Understanding in epistemology. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2016) Knowledge, assertion and intellectual humility. Logos and Episteme, 7(4), pp. 489-502. (doi: 10.5840/logos-episteme20167444)

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. C. and Palermos, S. O. (2016) Extended emotion. Philosophical Psychology, 29(2), pp. 198-217. (doi: 10.1080/09515089.2015.1063596)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2015) On cognitive and moral enhancement: a reply to Savulescu and Persson. Bioethics, 29(3), pp. 153-161. (doi: 10.1111/bioe.12076)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2014) Openmindedness and truth. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 44(2), pp. 207-224. (doi: 10.1080/00455091.2014.923247)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2014) A new maneuver against the epistemic relativist. Synthese, 191(8), pp. 1683-1695. (doi: 10.1007/s11229-013-0357-2)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2014) Objectual understanding and the value problem. American Philosophical Quarterly, 51(1), pp. 1-13.

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2013) Intelligence, wellbeing and procreative beneficence. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 30(2), pp. 122-135. (doi: 10.1111/japp.12011)

Gordon, E. C. (2012) Is there propositional understanding? Logos and Episteme, 3(2), pp. 181-192.

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2011) Norms of assertion: the quantity and quality of epistemic support. Philosophia, 39(4), pp. 615-635. (doi: 10.1007/s11406-011-9317-6)

Books

Gordon, E. C. (2022) Human Enhancement and Well-Being: A Case for Optimism. Series: Routledge research in applied ethics. Routledge. ISBN 9780367702205 (doi: 10.4324/9781003147992)

Book Sections

Gordon, E. C. (2024) Gender, race, and moral enhancement. In: Edwards, M. L. and Palermos, S. O. (eds.) Feminist Philosophy and Emerging Technologies. Series: Routledge studies in contemporary philosophy. Routledge: New York, pp. 56-73. ISBN 9781032229201 (doi: 10.4324/9781003275992-5)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2020) Intellectual humility and assertion. In: Alfano, M., Lynch, M. P. and Tanesini, A. (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Humility. Series: Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy. Routledge: Oxon, UK, pp. 335-345. ISBN 9780815364115

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. (2020) Is searching the internet making us intellectually arrogant? In: Tanesini, A. and Lynch, M. P. (eds.) Polarisation, Arrogance, and Dogmatism: Philosophical Perspectives. Routledge, pp. 88-103. ISBN 9780367260859 (doi: 10.4324/9780429291395-9)

Carter, J. .A. , Gordon, E. C. and Jarvis, B. W. (2017) Knowledge-first: an introduction. In: Carter, J. A., Gordon, E. C. and Jarvis, B. W. (eds.) Knowledge-First: Approaches in Epistemology and Mind. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, pp. 1-18. ISBN 9780198716310 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198716310.003.0001)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2017) The moral psychology of pride: an introduction. In: Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (eds.) The Moral Psychology of Pride. Series: Moral psychology of the emotions. Rowan & Liitlefield: London, UK, pp. 1-11. ISBN 9781783489084

Gordon, E. (2017) Is fundamentalism just a problem for religious people? In: Harris, M. and Pritchard, D. (eds.) Philosophy, Science and Religion for Everyone. Routledge: Abingdon, UK, pp. 93-104. ISBN 9781138234154 (doi: 10.4324/9781315102474-10)

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (2016) Objectual understanding, factivity and belief. In: Grajner, M. and Schmechtig, P. (eds.) Epistemic Reasons, Norms and Goals. De Gruyter, pp. 423-442. ISBN 9783110496345 (doi: 10.1515/9783110496765-020)

Gordon, E. C. (2016) Social epistemology and the acquisition of understanding. In: Ammon, S. R., Baumberger, C. and Grimm, S. (eds.) Explaining Understanding: New Perspectives from Epistemology and Philosophy of Science. Routledge: New York, NY, pp. 293-317. ISBN 9781138921931

Edited Books

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. C. and Jarvis, B. W. (Eds.) (2017) Knowledge First: Approaches in Epistemology and Mind. Oxford University Press: Oxford. ISBN 9780198716310

Carter, J. A. and Gordon, E. C. (Eds.) (2017) The Moral Psychology of Pride. Series: Moral psychology of the emotions. Rowman and Littlefield: London. ISBN 9781783489084

Edited Journals

Carter, J. A. , Gordon, E. C., Kelp, C. , Lyons, J. C. and Simion, M. (Eds.) (2021) Epistemology. Philosophical Topics. 49(2) [Edited Journal]

This list was generated on Sat Apr 20 03:05:00 2024 BST.

Supervision

I am happy to supervise MSc and PhD students working on most topics in applied ethics (especially bioethics) and epistemology. My current PhD students at the University of Glasgow include:

  • (2021-present) Adam Nicholson (Bioethics)
  • (2021-present) Rory Aird* (Applied Epistemology) *=AHRC funded
  • (2021-present) Louis Austin-Eames (Metaethics)
  • (2020-present) Cian Brennan* (Bioethics) *=AHRC funded
  • (2020-present): Daniella Meehan (Social Epistemology)
  • (2020-present) Daniela Rusu (Applied Epistemology)


At the University of Edinburgh, I previously supervised:

  • 2017-2019) Rie Iizuka (Social Epistemology)
  • (2017-2019) Vivek Pachpande (Epistemology)
  • ​(2017-2018) Adam Bricker (Epistemology/Philosophy of Mind).
  • Aird, Rory
    Combatting Conspiratorial Thinking through Ameliorative Epistemology
  • Darling, Frances
    Abled Ignorance, Disabled Knowledge, and Disability Injustice

Teaching

[2021-2022] SH16 Contemporary Ethics (convenor and lecturer)

[2020-2021] SH16 Contemporary Ethics (convenor and lecturer)

[2019-2020] JH6 History of Moral Philosophy: Kant (lecturer)

[2019-2020] Philosophy 1B: What is Good? (lecturer)

[2019-2020] JH9 Moral Philosophy (seminar leader)

[2019-2020] SH16 Contemporary Ethics (convenor and lecturer)

[2019-2020] JH3 Epistemology (seminar leader)

[2019-2020] Philosophy 2A: Is My Mind My Brain? (lecturer)

Additional information

I am Head of Interdisciplinary Research at the Cogito Epistemology Research Centre at the University of Glasgow. In this capacity, I am responsible for facilitating (i) interdisciplinary grants between COGITO and other subject areas outwith Philosophy; (ii) organising interdisciplinary research events between COGITO and researchers in medicine and psychology.
 
 
Philosophy & Medicine

New pharmacological drugs and technologies are increasingly changing the possibilities we have for improving ourselves cognitively, as well as emotionally and morally. Coming to grips with how to think about when and under what circumstances to avail ourselves to opportunities for pharmacological bioenhancement raises questions that require input from both philosophy and medicine. My forthcoming book on enhancement and well-being (Routledge) draws from both of these areas in order to navigate the role medicine should (and shouldn’t) have in improving our lives. As of July 2020, I am collaborating with medical scholars on a range of supervision projects and co-authored papers. So far, I have supervised ​projects on cognitive enhancement and drug dependency, the role of psychedelics in moral development, the ethics of record-taking in mental health services, ADHD medication, and the ethics of post-traumatic stress disorder treatment. One co-authored paper on cognitive enhancement, cognitive integration and dependency (with L. Dunn) is now accepted at Neuroethcs with two paper on (1) memory and (2) enhancement at high altitude in preparation. 

As Head of Interdisciplinary Research of the  COGITO, I look forward to continuing to foster new collaborations between myself and other researchers at COGITO working on cognition and epistemic well being with medics and scientists exploring the empirical side of pharmacology. If you are interested in proposing a collaboration, please get in touch!
 
 
 
Philosophy & Psychology

Outside of philosophy, I am a part-time integrative psychotherapist trained in relationship counselling, and I have 1900+ hours of experience working with couples and individuals. I also have an increasing research interest in areas in which my counselling expertise might overlap with issues in ethics, such as:  the transmission of understanding through testimony in counselling, and working with gender and sexual diversity in counselling (regarding which I received an extra qualification in June 2021 to complement my research), and working ethically with those who have different spiritual beliefs. Further, as of 2022, I am now a qualified casework supervisor, offering clinical supervision to six practicing psychotherapists.

In addition, I am lead Scientific Adviser on the 'Dimensions of Wellbeing' industry-funded research project at COGITO Glasgow. This project is the first of its kind to approach what is an important question in bioethics: ‘What is wellbeing’?—one that has wider implications for public policy beyond the academy—in a way that is seriously informed by work in contemporary epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of biology, and psychology.
 
 
 
The Arts Concordat ECR Network

I am co-lead on the Arts Concordat ECR Network for the career support of early career researchers at the University of Glasgow. In this capacity, I (co-)organise career development workshops for postdoctoral researchers in the UoG College of Arts, and I am co-hosting the Peer Support Discord Channel of the network. Pleas get in touch if you want to know more about the support available. 


Interdisciplinary Research at Cogito

I am Head of Interdisciplinary Research at the COGITO Research Centre. In this capacity, I currently oversee 11 research collaborations between COGITO researchers and researchers in medicine, law, psychology, neuroscience, business management, safety engineering, architecture, fine art, and computer science.