HANNA KIRI GUNN
PhD, Philosophy
I am an assistant professor in the Philosophy Department at UC Merced.
I was Mellon assistant professor of philosophy for the AY2018-2019 at Vanderbilt University. Prior to this, I completed my PhD and MA in Philosophy at UConn from 2013-2018.
My primary research areas are applied ethics (technology, new media, & broadly the internet) and social epistemology (normative epistemology, public discourse, epistemic agency, health of epistemic communities).
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My primary teaching areas currently include ethics and technology, bioethics, and epistemology.
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Some recent publications include: "Can Retributivism and Risk Assessment Be Reconciled?" (2024) with T. Napoletano, "Listening for Epistemic Community" (2023), "Is There A Duty To Disclose Epistemic Risk?" (2022).
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A slightly older but still relevant paper on the ethics of applied AI with Cathy O'Neil is in S. Matthew Liao's book, "The Ethics of AI". This paper proposes adopting a tool for holistic ethical evaluation to the case of AI models in particular. Preview our piece here.
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I am also a First Year UCCE Master Gardener of Mariposa County (May 2024).
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PUBLICATIONS
Drafts and papers are available on request, please email me.
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"Can Retributivism and Risk Assessment Be Reconciled?". (2024). Criminal Justice Ethics, DOI: 10.1080/0731129X.2024.2324541. Co-authored with Toby Napoletano.
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"Listening for Epistemic Community". (2023). The Epistemology of Democracy. Routledge. Eds., Cassim Cassam & Hana Samaržija.
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"Is There a Duty to Disclose Epistemic Risk?". (2022). Online Manipulation. Routledge, Eds. Michael Klenk & Fleur Jongepier.
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“Exclusion and Epistemic Community". (2021). Revue Internationale de Philosophie; Invited Contribution for Special Issue: Post-truth.
“Filter Bubbles, Echo Chambers, and Online Communities". (2021). The Routledge Handbook of Political Epistemology, Routledge; Eds. Michael Hannon and Jeroen De Ridder.
“The Internet and Epistemic Agency" (2021). Applied Epistemology, Oxford University Press; Ed. Jennifer Lackey. Co-authored with Michael P. Lynch.
“How Should We Build Epistemic Community?". (2020). Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 34(4):561–581; Invited Contribution for Special Issue: Truth.
“Has Googling Made Us Worse Listeners?". (2019; Online 2020). Contemporary French & Francophone Studies; Invited Contribution for Special Issue: The Google Era?/L’ére Google?
“Near-Term Artificial Intelligence and the Ethical Matrix". (2020). In Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, Oxford University Press; Ed. S. Matthew Liao. pp.235-269. Co-authored with Cathy O’Neil. Preview here.
“An Intellectually Humbling Experience: Changes in interpersonal perception & cultural reasoning". (2019). Journal of Psychology and Theology; Special Issue: Cultural Humility; Co-Authors: Benjamin R. Meagher, Nathan Seff, Daryl Van Tongeren.
“Googling". (2019). In Routledge Handbook of Applied Epistemology; Ed. David Coady. Co-authored with Michael P. Lynch.
“Intellectual Humility". (2017). Oxford Bibliographies in Philosophy; Ed. Duncan Pritchard. NY: OUP.; Co-authors: Casey Johnson, Michael P. Lynch, Nathan Sheff.
TECHNOLOGY. ETHICS. QUESTIONS.
The TEQ Deck
I have joined the excellent team at the UCSC Center for Public Philosophy on this exciting project. We are creating a deck of playing cards that will catalyze conversations about Ethics and Technology.
Each card presents a pressing ethical question arising from emerging advances in technology — genetic engineering, AI and machine learning, social algorithms, agritech, astrobiology, and so forth.
The deck is designed for two uses:
i) structured learning environments (e.g., in high schools, colleges, and industry), and ii) in recreational contexts, via games with friends, family, or colleagues.
Cards do not tell players what to think. They're a playful way to stimulate dialogue on some of the critical issues we need to face.
Discussion-based card games constitute a powerful, rather untapped way of inviting people into philosophical inquiry and dialogue—a non-intimidating, playful modality for generating meaningful discussions on challenging topics.
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Read an interview with the team here.
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If you have a prototype deck and want to submit feedback, you can do so here. Thank you!
PhilMod
PhilMod is a community of academic researchers and technology professionals interested in the philosophical implications of content moderation and social media platform policy. The group was started by Étienne Brown (SJSU), and is now co-organised by Étienne Brown, Jeffrey Howard (UCI), and myself.
CONTACT
H Gunn at UCMerced dot edu