dr. Richard Heersmink

Bio

I completed my PhD in 2014 at Macquarie University in Sydney and had lectureships at Macquarie University, La Trobe University, and Monash University (all in Australia).  Before moving to Australia, I obtained undergraduate degrees in both Biotechnology and Biochemistry (Saxion University of Applied Science) and a Research Master in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (University of Twente). I started my position at Tilburg University in 2022.

Expertise

My research is at the intersection of philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of technology, and applied ethics. The overall aim of my work is to engage with big-picture questions like: Who are we in relation to technology? And what kind of relationship do we want to have to technology going forward in the 21st century? More specifically, I aim to better understand how the informational properties of artifacts enhance and transform memory, cognition, and human identity. I take an extended and distributed cognition view on the relation between embodied agents and cognitive artifacts, but also draw on empirical research from the cognitive sciences, psychology, and human-computer interaction. I further have an interest in the normative and cultural dimensions of cognitive artifacts.

I work in the following areas in philosophy:

- Philosophy of Cognitive Science

- Philosophy of Technology

- Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

- Neuroethics

Teaching

In addition to teaching the below courses, I'm the coordinator of the 1-year MA track in Philosophy of Data and Digital Society. 

Courses

• Philosophy of Science for IBA
• Research Skills: Communication
• Master Seminar
• Internship Research Philosophy
• Ethics and Digital Life
• Philosophy of Big Data and Society
• Philosophy (Introduction)

Recent publications

1. History of memory artifacts

   Heersmink, R. (2024). History of memory artifacts. In L. Bietti, & M. Pogacar (Eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Memory Studies Palgrave Macmillan.

2. Use of large language models might affect our cognitive skills

   Heersmink, R. (2024). Use of large language models might affect our cognitive skills. Nature Human Behaviour. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01859-y

3. Materialised identities: Cultural identity, collective memory, and ar…

   Heersmink, R. (2023). Materialised identities: Cultural identity, collective memory, and artifacts. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 14(1), 249-265.

4. Human uniqueness in using tools and artifacts: flexibility, variety, …

   Heersmink, R. (2022). Human uniqueness in using tools and artifacts: flexibility, variety, complexity. Synthese, 200(6), 1-22. Article 442.

5. Preserving Narrative Identity for Dementia Patients - Embodiment, Act…

   Heersmink, R. (2022). Preserving Narrative Identity for Dementia Patients: Embodiment, Active Environments, and Distributed Memory. Neuroethics, 15(1), 1-16. Article 8.