Bennett Knox

PhD Candidate, Philosophy, University of Utah

VMST Slides

About Me

I am a PhD candidate in philosophy at the University of Utah, working primarily in the philosophy of psychiatry under the direction of Natalia Washington. I believe that in order for the science of psychopathology to move forward, it must grapple with deep conceptual issues that require a philosophical approach. For instance, challenges from the neurodiversity and Mad Pride movements, critiques of the very concept of mental disorder, issues related to the proper way to understand psychiatric classification systems, and ethical issues surrounding psychiatric paternalism are all areas where contributions from philosophy are essential. My hope is that through my philosophical work I can help reshape psychiatry into a discipline that better serves the needs of those who require psychiatric care, and which does not overreach its proper bounds.


Twitter: @BennettwKnox

Recent News

I've recently had a commentary (co-authored with Pierce Christoffersen, Kalista Leggitt, Zeia Woodruff, and Matthew H. Haber) published in The American Journal of Bioethics on the use of conversational AI for psychotherapy.


I recently gave a talk on pluralism and the Spectrum 10K controversy as part of an Online Workshop on Radical and Critical Approaches to Understanding and Supporting Mental Health.