Matthew Jope

Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

  • Philosophy
  • School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Contact details

Address

Street

Room 8.13

City
40 George Square, Edinburgh
Post code
EH8 9JX

Biography

Background

I am a Leverhulme Trust postdoctoral fellow in philosophy. I work on issues to do with epistemic closure, trust and risk. Before beginning my current fellowship, I held postdoctoral positions at the universities of Barcelona and Glasgow, before which I completed my PhD at the University of Edinburgh. 

CV

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Qualifications

PhD, Philosophy, University of Edinburgh, 2020

MA, Philosophy, KU Leuven, 2016

BA, Philosophy, KU Leuven, 2015

Responsibilities & affiliations

I am an affiliate member of Philip Ebert and Martin Smith's AHRC-funded project 'Varieties of Risk'. I am also an affiliate member of the COGITO Epistemology Research Centre. 

Research summary

My current project investigates the apparent connection between trust and risk, raising a puzzle poses a threat for our ability to gain knowledge based on trust, and attempts to solve the puzzle by embracing a pluralist account of the nature of risk and a radically anti-individualist account of the nature and normativity of trust. 

Past research interests

Epistemic closure, transmission of warrant, entitlement, scepticism, epistemic norms.

Project activity

  • My current research project focuses on a puzzle that arises out of reflection on the concepts of testimonial knowledge, interpersonal trust and epistemic risk. How can it be that much of our knowledge depends on trusting the word of others if trust essentially involves risk and risk undermines knowledge? The project brings together several fields of research, showing that common assumptions about the nature of testimony, trust and risk are jointly inconsistent, arguing that solving the puzzle requires embracing a pluralist account of risk and a radically anti-individualist account of the nature and value of epistemic trust. 

Current project grants

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship

Past project grants

Marie Curie Early Stage Research Fellowship

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