Projects
The Artificial Womb on Trial
Artificial womb technology is approaching over the scientific horizon. Recent proof-of-principle experiments using foetal animals have prompted a new surge of bioethical interest in the topic: scholars have asked what ectogenesis would mean for individuals, family, oppressed groups, and society at large; how we can or should regulate the technology; and whose interests motivate ectogenic research. However, a full investigation of
the bioethics of ectogenesis must ask, ‘how do we get there?’
This forthcoming title for the CUP series Cambridge Elements in Bioethics and Neuroethics places the research and development process itself under the microscope and explores the bioethical issues raised by human subject trials of ectogenic prototypes.
Philosophy of the Family: Ethics, Identity and Responsibility
Almost all of us live in families of some sort or another, even if we might not currently live with family members. The notion of the family is at once very familiar, but experienced in very diverse ways. This book, co-authored with Dr Christopher Cowley (University College Dublin) is a close philosophical and ethical examination of the main concepts that we use to make sense of family life. The book was published by Bloomsbury in February 2024.
What is parenthood? It's a question we never normally think to ask - we all know what parents are. But in this book, I take parenthood to pieces, teasing apart the biological, social, moral and legal facets of this concept and the ways in which they depend on one another. From Roman adoption practices to the use of motherhood in war propaganda, I explore the myriad ways in which we understood and construct parenthood.
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This book built upon my PhD work as a member of the BUMP group at the University of Southampton, and I began writing it as a member of the IRLaB group at the Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences.
The book was published by Cambridge University Press in January 2023, and you can get your copy here.
The Philosopher's Guide to Parenthood: Storks, Surrogates and Stereotypes
