•  68
    Delusions in the two-factor theory: pathological or adaptive?
    with Eugenia Lancellotta
    European Journal of Analytic Philosophy 16 (2): 37-57. 2020.
    In this paper we ask whether the two-factor theory of delusions is compatible with two claims, that delusions are pathological and that delusions are adaptive. We concentrate on two recent and influential models of the two-factor theory: the one proposed by Max Coltheart, Peter Menzies and John Sutton (2010) and the one developed by Ryan McKay (2012). The models converge on the nature of Factor 1 but diverge about the nature of Factor 2. The differences between the two models are reflected in di…Read more
  •  65
    Large scale surveys for policy formation and research–a study in inconsistency
    with Søren Holm
    Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 28 (3): 205-220. 2007.
    In this paper we analyse the degree to which a distinction between social science and public health research and other non-research activities can account for differences between a number of large scale social surveys performed at the national and European level. The differences we will focus on are differences in how participation is elicited and how data are used for government, research and other purposes. We will argue that the research / non-research distinction does not account for the ide…Read more
  •  65
    Delimiting the concept of research: An ethical perspective
    Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 28 (3): 157-179. 2007.
    It is important to be able to offer an account of which activities count as scientific research, given our current interest in promoting research as a means to benefit humankind and in ethically regulating it. We attempt to offer such an account, arguing that we need to consider both the procedural and functional dimensions of an activity before we can establish whether it is a genuine instance of scientific research. By placing research in a broader schema of activities, the similarities and di…Read more
  •  63
    Embryos and Eagles: Symbolic Value in Research and Reproduction
    Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 15 (1): 22-34. 2006.
    On both sides of the debate on the use of embryos in stem cell research, and in reproductive technologies more generally, rhetoric and symbolic images have been evoked to influence public opinion. Human embryos themselves are described as either “very small human beings” or “small clusters of cells.” The intentions behind the use of these phrases are clear. One description suggests that embryos are already members of our community and share with us a right to life or at least respectful treatmen…Read more
  •  57
    Continuing Commentary: Shaking the Bedrock
    Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology 18 (1): 77-87. 2011.
    This feature in Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology (PPP) is intended to provide ongoing commentary on main articles previously published in PPP. The essay by Bortolotti below is a response to John Rhodes and Richard Gipps's paper in PPP (15, no. 4:295-310).Can we understand people who report delusional beliefs? In their thought-provoking paper, "Delusions, Certainty, and the Background", John Rhodes and Richard Gipps (2008) present a novel account of delusions which has two main purposes: (1) …Read more
  •  49
    Doctors without ‘Disorders’
    Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume 94 (1): 163-184. 2020.
    On one influential view, the problems that should attract medical attention involve a disorder, because the goals of medical practice are to prevent and treat disorders. Based on this view, if there are no mental disorders then the status of psychiatry as a medical field is challenged. In this paper, I observe that it is often difficult to establish whether the problems that attract medical attention involve a disorder, and argue that none of the notions of disorder proposed so far offers a succ…Read more
  •  46
    Do delusions have and give meaning?
    Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 21 (4): 949-968. 2022.
    Delusions are often portrayed as paradigmatic instances of incomprehensibility and meaninglessness. Here we investigate the relationship between delusions and meaning from a philosophical perspective, integrating arguments and evidence from cognitive psychology and phenomenological psychopathology. We review some of the empirical and philosophical literature relevant to two claims about delusions and meaning: delusions are meaningful, despite being described as irrational and implausible beliefs…Read more
  •  46
    If you did not care, you would not notice: recognition and estrangement in psychopathology
    with Matthew R. Broome
    Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology 14 (1): 39-42. 2007.
    Paper discussing the Capgras delusions
  •  45
    Are delusions pathological beliefs?
    Asian Journal of Philosophy 1 (1): 1-10. 2022.
    In chapter 3 of Delusions and Beliefs, Kengo Miyazono argues that, when delusions are pathological beliefs, they are so due to their being both harmful and malfunctional. In this brief commentary, I put pressure on Miyazono’s account of delusions as harmful malfunctioning beliefs. No delusions might satisfy the malfunction criterion and some delusions might fail to satisfy the harmfulness criterion when such conditions are interpreted as criteria for pathological beliefs. In the end, I raise a g…Read more
  •  44
    Philip Gerrans the measure of madness: Philosophy of mind, cognitive neuroscience, and delusional thought
    with Rachel Gunn
    British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 67 (3): 919-923. 2016.
    Review of Measure of Madness
  •  43
    The Epistemic Relevance of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology 29 (2): 91-93. 2022.
    Ratnayake's interesting paper challenges two claims, that cognitive distortions in depression involve epistemic issues; and that cognitive behavioral therapy can rectify those epistemic issues. We are going to discuss both claims here and offer some reasons not to underestimate the epistemic relevance of CBT. First, there may be epistemic issues underlying cognitive distortions in depression that CBT can effectively address, including blind acceptance of negative automatic thoughts and insensiti…Read more
  •  41
    Threats to epistemic agency in young people with unusual experiences and beliefs
    with Joseph W. Houlders and Matthew R. Broome
    Synthese 199 (3-4): 7689-7704. 2021.
    A good therapeutic relationship in mental health services is a predictor of positive clinical outcomes for people who seek help for distressing experiences, such as voice hearing and paranoia. One factor that may affect the quality of the therapeutic relationship and raises further ethical issues is the impact of the clinical encounter on users’ sense of self, and in particular on their sense of agency. In the paper, we discuss some of the reasons why the sense of epistemic agency may be especia…Read more
  •  41
    Conceptual challenges in the characterisation and explanation of psychiatric phenomena
    European Journal of Analytic Philosophy 6 (1): 5-10. 2010.
    b is collection focuses on conceptual issues that arise within the theoretical dimension of psychiatry. In particular, the invited contributions centre on the nature of psychiatric classification and explanation by addressing important methodological issues. Two strategies are exemplified here. Either the authors directly contribute to foundational issues in psychiatry concerning the nature of psychiatric classification and explanation; or they provide a conceptual analysis that can play a role …Read more
  •  40
    Delusions and the Background of Rationality
    Mind and Language 20 (2): 189-208. 2005.
    I argue that some cases of delusions show the inadequacy of those theories of interpretation that rely on a necessary rationality constraint on belief ascription. In particular I challenge the view that irrational beliefs can be ascribed only against a general background of rationality. Subjects affected by delusions seem to be genuine believers and their behaviour can be successfully explained in intentional terms, but they do not meet those criteria that according to Davidson need to be met fo…Read more
  •  40
    The Epistemic Innocence of Irrational Beliefs
    Oxford University Press. 2020.
    Lisa Bortolotti argues that some irrational beliefs are epistemically innocent and deliver significant epistemic benefits that could not be easily attained otherwise. While the benefits of the irrational belief may not outweigh the costs, epistemic innocence helps to clarify the epistemic and psychological effects of irrational beliefs on agency.
  •  35
    Solitude as a positive experience
    Metodo. International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy 8 (2): 119-147. 2020.
    What makes solitude a positive experience? What distinguishes experiences of solitude from experiences of loneliness? We review some of the literature on the benefits of solitude, focusing on freedom, creativity, and spirituality. Then, we argue that the relationship between agent and environment is an important factor in determining the quality of experiences of solitude. In particular, we find that solitude may support a person’s sense of agency, expanding the possibilities for action that a p…Read more
  •  34
    A Journey into the Mind
    with Lynn Chiu and Lauren Leigh Saling
    Philosophical Psychology 36 (4): 701-703. 2023.
    In this issue, we present two symposia on recent, influential books which have already sparked important research in philosophy and psychology. A common characteristic of these two very different b...
  •  34
    An Ethical Framework for Stem Cell Research in the European Union
    with John Harris and Louise Irving
    Health Care Analysis 13 (3): 157-162. 2005.
    Paper providing an ethical framework for stem cell research in Europe
  •  32
    What is unrealistic optimism?
    with Anneli Jefferson and Bojana Kuzmanovic
    Consciousness and Cognition 50 3-11. 2017.
  •  32
    Epistemic innocence and the production of false memory beliefs
    Philosophical Studies 176 (3): 755-780. 2019.
    Findings from the cognitive sciences suggest that the cognitive mechanisms responsible for some memory errors are adaptive, bringing benefits to the organism. In this paper we argue that the same cognitive mechanisms also bring a suite of significant epistemic benefits, increasing the chance of an agent obtaining epistemic goods like true belief and knowledge. This result provides a significant challenge to the folk conception of memory beliefs that are false, according to which they are a sign …Read more
  •  30
    Natural versus Assisted Reproduction: In Search of Fairness
    with Daniela E. Cutas
    Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology 4 (1). 2010.
    In this paper, we are concerned with the ethical implications of the distinction between natural reproduction and reproduction that requires assistance. We argue that the current practice of enforcing regulations on the latter but not on the former means of reproduction is ethically unjustified. It is not defensible to tolerate parental ignorance or abuse in natural reproduction and subsequently in natural parenting, whilst submitting assisted reproduction and parenting to invasive scrutiny. Our…Read more
  •  30
    The Bright Side of Memory Errors
    The Philosophers' Magazine 82 41-47. 2018.
    The paper discusses the epistemic benefits of cognitive mechanisms producing distorted memories. Aimed at a non-specialist audience.
  •  28
    Are Alien Thoughts Beliefs?
    Teorema: International Journal of Philosophy 34 (1): 134-148. 2015.
    Thought insertion is a common delusion in schizophrenia. People affected by it report that there are thoughts in their heads that have been inserted by a third party. These thoughts are self-generated but subjec-tively experienced as alien (hereafter, we shall call them alien thoughts for convenience). In chapter 5 of Transparent Minds, Jordi Fernández convincingly argues that the phenomenon of thought insertion can be accounted for as a pathology of self-knowledge. In particular, he argues that…Read more
  •  28
    Autobiographical stories do not merely offer insights into someone’s experience but can constitute evidence or even serve as self-standing arguments for a given viewpoint in the context of public debates. Such stories are likely to exercise considerable influence on debate participants’ views and behaviour due to their being more vivid, engaging, and accessible than other forms of evidence or argument. In this paper we are interested in whether there are epistemic and moral duties associated wit…Read more
  •  28
    Instrumental rationality and suicide in schizophrenia: a case for rational suicide?
    with Markella Grigoriou and Rachel Upthegrove
    Journal of Medical Ethics 45 (12): 802-805. 2019.
    It is estimated that up to 7500 people develop schizophrenia each year in the UK. Schizophrenia has significant consequences, with 28% of the excess mortality in schizophrenia being attributed to suicide. Previous research suggests that suicide in schizophrenia may be more related to affective factors such as depression and hopelessness, rather than psychotic symptoms themselves. Considering suicide in schizophrenia within this framework enables us to develop a novel philosophical approach, in w…Read more
  •  26
    Delusions in Context (edited book)
    Palgrave. 2018.
    This open access book offers an exploration of delusions--unusual beliefs that can significantly disrupt people's lives. Experts from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including lived experience, clinical psychiatry, philosophy, clinical psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, discuss how delusions emerge, why it is so difficult to give them up, what their effects are, how they are managed, and what we can do to reduce the stigma associated with them. Taken as a whole, the book proposes that …Read more