Jessica Brown

Jessica Brown is a Professor at the University of St Andrews within the School of Philosophical, Anthropological & Film Studies. Her work bridges epistemology, moral responsibility, and philosophical methodology, with a focus on both individual and collective epistemic practices.

• Institution: University of St Andrews
• School: Philosophical, Anthropological & Film Studies
• Research Outputs: 52

Research Overview

Prof Brown's research spans three core domains: (1) Epistemology – examining evidence, knowledge transmission, fallibilism vs. infallibilism, contextualism, and norms of assertion; (2) Moral/Epicemic Responsibility – analyzing blame attribution for beliefs and actions at individual and group levels; (3) Philosophical Methodology – critiquing the role of intuitions, thought experiments, and ordinary language in philosophical inquiry, while addressing scepticism about the discipline's validity.

Publication Trends

Her articles reflect evolving focus from foundational epistemological concepts (2013-2018) to collective epistemic responsibility (2020-2023). Topics include group motivation, epistemic blame, and fallibilist frameworks, often intersecting with social philosophy and philosophical psychology.

Scientific Recognition

• Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh (2018)

Mentorship & Funding

• Supervised: 14 postgraduate students/researchers
• Major Grants: Leverhulme Trust Fellowship, Royal Society of Edinburgh Workshop Award, AHRC Standard Projects