Dr Michael T. Stuart
Lecturer
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Profile
Biography
My PhD is from the University of Toronto, in philosophy of science (2015). After that, I held postdoctoral and research fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh, the LSE, Cambridge, the University of Geneva, the University of Zurich, and the University of Tübingen, and was an Associate Professor at the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taipei.
I combine qualitative and quantitative approaches with traditional philosophical methods to investigate scientific reasoning (especially scientific imagination and creativity), scientific tools (especially thought experiments, models, visualizations), and the impact of artificial intelligence on science.
I convene the philosophy of artificial intelligence MA program, and teach UG and PGT courses in philosophy of science.
Departmental roles
- Social Media Coordinator
- Department Ethics Representative
University roles
- Theme lead, Digital Humanities, N8 CIR
Research
Overview
In general, I work on the epistemology and ethics of science. In particular, I focus on scientific imagination, the aesthetics of science, and artificial intelligence. I use traditional philosophical methods, but also employ qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Projects
I am working on a book about scientific imagination and understanding.
In addition, I'm beginning a project on the epistemic and ethical consequences of artificial intelligence in science, including the ways that AI might model, supplement, complement, or replace imagination in science, and the ways that AI might be said to instantiate scientific understanding.
External activities
Overview
I teach philosophy in UK prisons with a charity called Philosophy in Prisons.
Memberships
- I am a member of PhilSci India, and the Asia-Pacific Philosophy of Science Association.
Contact details
Publications
Full publications list
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND BOOKS CHAPTERS
Stuart, M.T. Forthcoming. "Experimental Philosophy and Metaphilosophy of Imagination and Creativity." In A. Kind and J. Langkau (eds). Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Imagination and Creativity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Stuart, M.T. and Sargeant, H. Forthcoming. “The Role of Imagination in Making Water from Moon Rocks: How Scientists Use Imagination to Break Constraints on Imagination.” Analysis. DOI: 10.1093/analys/anae015
Stuart, M.T. and Kozlov, A. Forthcoming. “Moving Targets and Models of Nothing: A New Sense of Abstraction for Philosophy of Science.” In J. Sánchez-Dorado and C. Ambrosio (eds.). Understanding through Abstraction in Science and Art. London: Routledge.
El Skaf, R. and Stuart, M.T. Forthcoming. “Scientific Models and Thought Experiments.” In T. Knuuttila, N. Carrillo, and R. Koskinen (eds). The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Scientific Modeling. London: Routledge.
Stuart, M.T. and Sargeant, H. Forthcoming. “Inclusivity in the Education of Scientific Imagination.” In E. Hildt, K. Laas, C. Miller, and E. Brey (eds.). Building Inclusive Ethical Cultures in STEM. London: Routledge.
Stuart, M.T. 2023. “The Future Won’t Be Pretty: The Nature and Value of Ugly, AI-Designed Experiments.” In M. Ivanova and A. Murphy (eds). The Aesthetics of Scientific Experiments. London: Routledge.
McLoone, B., Grützner, C. & Stuart, M.T. 2023. "Counterpossibles in Science: An Experimental Study.: Synthese 201, 27. DOI: 10.1007/s11229-022-04014-0.
Stuart, M.T. 2022. "Sharpening the Tools of Imagination." Synthese 200, 451. DOI: 10.1007/s11229-022-03939-w.
Stuart, M.T. 2022. “Scientists are Epistemic Consequentialists about Imagination.” Philosophy of Science 90 (3):518–538. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/psa.
Stuart, M.T. and Wilkenfeld, D. 2022. “Understanding Metaphorical Understanding (Literally).” European Journal for Philosophy of Science. DOI: 10.1007/s13194-022-00479-5.
Stuart, M.T. and Kneer, M. 2021. “Guilty Artificial Minds: Folk Attributions of Mens Rea and Culpability to Artificially Intelligent Agents.” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction. Volume 5 Issue CSCW2 Article No.: 363, pp 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1145/
Stuart, M.T. 2021. “Telling Stories in Science: Feyerabend and Thought Experiments.” HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science 10(2). DOI: 10.1086/712946.
Kneer, M. and Stuart, M.T. 2021. “Playing the Blame Game with Robots.” Companion of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. DOI: 10.1145/3434074.3447202.
Stuart, M.T. 2020. “The Productive Anarchy of Scientific Imagination.” Philosophy of Science 87: 968–978. DOI: 10.1086/710629.
Stuart, M.T. 2020. “The Material Theory of Induction and the Epistemology of Thought Experiments.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 83: 17–27. DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2020.03.005.
Stuart, M.T. 2019. “Towards a Dual Process Epistemology of Imagination.” Synthese 198:1329–1350. DOI: 10.1007/s11229-019-02116-w.
Stuart, M.T. 2019. “Everyday Scientific Imagination: A Qualitative Study of the Uses, Norms, and Pedagogy of Imagination in Science.” Science & Education 28(6), 711-730. DOI: 10.1007/s11191-019-00067-9.
Stuart, M.T. Colaço, D. and Machery, E.. 2019. “P-Curving X-Phi: Does Experimental Philosophy Have Evidential Value?” Analysis 79(4): 669–684. DOI: 10.1093/analys/anz007.
Stuart, M.T. 2019. “The Role of Imagination in Social Scientific Discovery: Why Machine Discoverers Will Need Imagination Algorithms.” In M. Addis et al. (eds.) Scientific Discovery in the Social Sciences. Springer: Heidelberg.
Stuart, M.T. and Nersessian, N.J. 2019. “Peeking Inside the Black Box: A New Kind of Scientific Visualization.” Minds and Machines 29: 87–107. DOI: 10.1007/s11023-018-9484-3.
2022. Feyerabend and the Philosophy of Physics. Special issue of International Studies in the Philosophy of Science (with J. Shaw).
2022. Responsible Life Science Funding Policy: Lessons from the Pandemic. Special Issue of The Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine (with. V. Sikimić and J. Shaw).
2021. Thought Experiments in the History of Philosophy of Science. HOPOS special issue (with Y. Fehige) 10(2).
EDITED VOLUMES
2023. (Un)Successful Remembering and Imagining. Special issue of Philosophy and the Mind Sciences (with Y-T. Lin, C. McCarroll, and K. Michaelian).2022. Feyerabend and the Philosophy of Physics. Special issue of International Studies in the Philosophy of Science (with J. Shaw).
2022. Responsible Life Science Funding Policy: Lessons from the Pandemic. Special Issue of The Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine (with. V. Sikimić and J. Shaw).
2021. Thought Experiments in the History of Philosophy of Science. HOPOS special issue (with Y. Fehige) 10(2).
BOOK REVIEWS
Stuart, M.T. 2023. "Review of Bedeviled: A Shadow History of Demons in Science by Jimena Canales." ISIS 114:2. https://doi.org/10.1086/724764
Stuart, M. T. 2023. “How to Tame your Feyerabend.” Review of Interpreting Feyerabend edited by Karim Bschir and Jamie Shaw. Metascience 32:173–176. DOI: 10.1007/s11016-023-00863-8.
Stuart, M.T. 2021. "Review of Arnon Levy and Peter Godfrey-Smith (eds.), The Scientific Imagination: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives." Journal for General Philosophy of Science Vol. 52: 493–499.
Stuart, M. T. 2023. “How to Tame your Feyerabend.” Review of Interpreting Feyerabend edited by Karim Bschir and Jamie Shaw. Metascience 32:173–176. DOI: 10.1007/s11016-023-00863-8.
Stuart, M.T. 2021. "Review of Arnon Levy and Peter Godfrey-Smith (eds.), The Scientific Imagination: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives." Journal for General Philosophy of Science Vol. 52: 493–499.