Mikkel Gerken

Research Interests

My research is in epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind as well as some philosophy of language. Some of my research is traditional philosophy and some of it overlaps with empirical sciences such as social and cognitive psychology.

I teach courses in epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind as well as some philosophy of language at all levels from high school to PhD. I am happy to supervise student papers and theses on any of those topics.

I did my PhD at UCLA and have had jobs at the University of Edinburgh (tenured position) and Stanford University (guest professor).

I take part in public debates through op-eds, podcasts, public talks, panel debates, interviews and such. Recently, topics for such “public outreach” have been science skepticism, the roles of science in society, the values in science etc. However, I am also happy to give public presentations about foundational philosophical questions about, for example, the nature of knowledge, consciousness etc. Feel free to email me about events or engagements.

Currently, much of my research concerns the roles of science in society. In doing so, I draw on epistemology to illuminate contemporary science skepticism. Likewise, I draw on philosophy of language and psychology to devise better strategies for science communication about polarizing issues. Similarly, I draw on philosophy of science and political philosophy to develop principles for legitimate values in scientific practice and science advice.

However, I am constantly working on a range of foundational issues in theoretical philosophy. The include: Epistemic injustice, epistemic norms of action and assertion, transcendental arguments, the necessary a posteriori, philosophical skepticism, philosophical methodology, externalist theories in epistemology and mind, phenomenal consciousness, the nature of cognitive heuristics etc.