Ema Sullivan-Bissett
emas-b.bsky.social
Ema Sullivan-Bissett
@emas-b.bsky.social
Reader in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. Toddler Mum.

#philosophy #philsky
Pinned
My Cambridge Element on Irrationality is out, and open access for a month! In it I discuss akrasia, conspiracy beliefs, self-deception, delusion, and implicit bias. www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Irrationality
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Irrationality
www.cambridge.org
Reposted by Ema Sullivan-Bissett
Is it normal to be delusional? @emas-b.bsky.social launches our 2026 series of Philosophy workshops at @winterbournehouse.bsky.social this February! Ticket is free and includes access to the Garden. Thanks @triphilosophy.bsky.social for supporting this initiative #philsky #philosophyforeveryone
October 30, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Ema Sullivan-Bissett
Very happy day! Ellie Palafox-Harris passed her viva with no corrections! She wrote a great thesis on #epistemicinjustice and delusions #philsky Proud supervisors @emas-b.bsky.social and I are delighted 😀 Here is an open access paper by Ellie: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Resisting Perceptions of Patient Untrustworthiness
A beneficial therapeutic relationship between a patient and their clinician requires mutual trust. In order to effectively treat someone, a clinician has to trust the patient’s reports of their symptoms, relevant experiences, medical history, and so on. Many...
link.springer.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Ema Sullivan-Bissett
My copy of The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Delusion by @emas-b.bsky.social with chapters by @rritunnano.bsky.social @lisabortolotti.bsky.social @philcorlett.bsky.social @psychunseen.bsky.social (me) & others has arrived!

30 years ago I loved reading books like this; now I helped write one!
April 2, 2025 at 1:47 AM
My Cambridge Element on Irrationality is out, and open access for a month! In it I discuss akrasia, conspiracy beliefs, self-deception, delusion, and implicit bias. www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Irrationality
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Irrationality
www.cambridge.org
January 27, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Very pleased to see published the fruits of mine and Anna Ichino's co-writing labour! We argue there are no grounds for the difference in approaches to pathology when it comes to beliefs in conspiracy theories and monothematic delusions. Open access! link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Conspiracy Beliefs and Monothematic Delusions: A Case for De-pathologizing - Erkenntnis
Monothematic delusions and beliefs in conspiracy theories share some important features: they both typically have bizarre contents and are resistant to counterevidence. Yet conspiracy beliefs are gene...
link.springer.com
November 26, 2024 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by Ema Sullivan-Bissett
Are delusions normal explanations of anomalous experiences?🤔

Delighted to share my newly published reply to @emas-b.bsky.social and @paulnoordhof.bsky.social’s thought-provoking commentary on my 2023 paper. In this exchange, I challenge, while they defend, a positive answer to this question. ✨
One-Factor versus Two-Factor Theory of Delusion: Replies to Sullivan-Bissett and Noordhof - Neuroethics
I would like to thank Sullivan-Bissett and Noordhof for their stimulating comments on my 2023 paper in Neuroethics. In this reply, I will (1) articulate some deeper disagreements that may underpin our...
doi.org
November 25, 2024 at 10:58 AM
I have a new paper on delusion which I'm very pleased to see published today, and open access too. I argue that monothematic delusions are best understood as beliefs formed in tricky (read: Millikanian abNormal) conditions, rather than as malfunctions of belief. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Monothematic delusions are misfunctioning beliefs - Synthese
Monothematic delusions are bizarre beliefs which are often accompanied by highly anomalous experiences. For philosophers and psychologists attracted to the exploration of mental phenomena in an evolut...
link.springer.com
November 22, 2024 at 12:06 PM
My tremendous colleague and friend Merten Reglitz's book is published today. Bonus features: (1) Published on #WorldPhilosophyDay, and (2) in time for Christmas! www.cambridge.org/core/books/f...
Free Internet Access as a Human Right
Cambridge Core - Human Rights - Free Internet Access as a Human Right
www.cambridge.org
November 21, 2024 at 8:36 AM
Reposted by Ema Sullivan-Bissett
New paper! Biases are among the cognitive antecedents of delusions and conspiracy theories. Does this mean that when we have delusions and conspiracy theories we should be excluded from shared epistemic projects? (Spoiler: no) link.springer.com/ar... open access! #philsky
The Ant and the Grasshopper: Does Biased Cognition Compromise Agency in the Case of Delusions and Conspiracy Theories?
Review of Philosophy and Psychology - This paper starts from an observation of our practices: when people are ascribed delusional beliefs or conspiracy beliefs, they tend to be excluded from shared...
link.springer.com
November 20, 2024 at 7:16 AM
For my first post here I'm delighted to share, on publication day, The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Delusion! 🧵 www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...
The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Delusion
Delusions play an important and fascinating role in philosophy and are a particularly fertile area of study in recent years, spanning philosophy of mind and psychology, epistemology, ethics, psycholog...
www.routledge.com
November 15, 2024 at 9:39 AM