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BIOUNCERTAINTY - ERC Starting Grant no. 805498
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25th February 2021: Research seminar online - Nora Heinzelmann (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg): Higher-order uncertainty in bioethical judgements
We have the pleasure to invite you for a research seminar in the ‘BIOUNCERTAINTY’ research project. The seminar will take place on Thursday, February 25th, at 5:30pm on MS Teams (link below).
Abstract: Higher-order uncertainty is uncertainty about mental states. For example, you might be higher-order uncertain about your first-order belief that Warsaw is the capital of Poland. This kind of uncertainty has been intensely studied in the cognitive and behavioural sciences because of its key role for action, choice, and social interaction. I present new work on its role in bioethical judgments. My group and I have developed a psychological questionnaire based on the literature in bioethics that quantifies bioethical judgements and higher-order uncertainty about them. In two field studies, one lab study and one online study we employ the questionnaire to investigate the influence of social interaction on bioethical judgements and higher-order uncertainty. We find that social interaction boosts higher-order uncertainty even if first-order judgements remain unchanged. We also repeatedly find a correlation of judgement extremity and higher-order uncertainty. Overall, my work aims to benefit interdisciplinary research in bioethics and social psychology, and to provide insights into decision-making in the social and political realm.
Nora Heinzelmann is a post-doctoral researcher at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg. Her areas of specialization include practical philosophy - especially ethics, action theory and philosophy of science as well as philosophy of mind and epistemology.
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