Professor Lisa Bortolotti MA (London), BPhil (Oxon), PhD (ANU)

Department of Philosophy
Professor of Philosophy

Contact details

Telephone: +44(0)121 41 47045
Email: l.bortolotti@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @lisabortolotti

Address: Room 223, European Research Institute
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

I am a philosopher of the cognitive sciences, focusing on the philosophy of psychology and psychiatry. I am also interested in some issues in biomedical ethics. I am the Editor in Chief of Philosophical Psychology.

My main interests lie in the strengths and limitations of human cognition and agency, investigating faulty reasoning and irrational beliefs, delusions, confabulations, distorted memories, poor knowledge of the self, unreliable self narratives, self deception, inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviour, unrealistic optimism, and other positive illusions. I am also interested in how health, wellbeing, rationality, and agency interact.

Feedback and office hours

Office hours on Wednesdays 9-10am and 12-1pm. Or email for an appointment.

Qualifications

I have a Laurea in Filosofia (summa cum laude) from the University of Bologna (1997), an MA in Philosophy (with Distinction) from the University of London (1998), a BPhil from Oxford (2000), and a PhD in Philosophy from the Australian National University in Canberra (2004).

Biography

I joined the Philosophy Department at the University of Birmingham in September 2005. Since then, my research and teaching have focused on the philosophy of the cognitive sciences.

I have been Editor in chief of Philosophical Psychology (Taylor and Francis) since January 2022.

I am also the editor and founder of the Imperfect Cognitions blog and The Philosophy Garden, a virtual philosophy museum with resources on timely philosophical issues for young people and the general public.

I am the author of two textbooks and a key concept book:

Introduction to the philosophy of science (Polity, 2008)
Irrationality (Polity, 2014)
Philosophy of Psychology: An Introduction (Polity, 2021, with Kengo Miyazono).

I am the author of three monographs:

Delusions and Other Irrational Beliefs (OUP, 2009) which won the American Philosophical Association Book Prize in 2011.
The Epistemic Innocence of Irrational Beliefs (OUP, 2020)
Why Delusions Matter (Bloomsbury, 2023) which was a 2024 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title.

I edited four volumes:

Philosophy and Happiness (Palgrave, 2009)
Psychiatry as Cognitive Neuroscience: Philosophical Perspectives (OUP, 2009, with Matthew Broome), one of the Guardian Books of the Year in 2009
Delusions in Context (Palgrave, 2018), open access
Epistemic Justice in Mental Healthcare: Recognising agency and promoting virtues across the life span (Palgrave, 2025), open access

Teaching

I teach on two Masters modules: Philosophy and Mental Health for Philosophy, for on-campus and distance-learning students, and Philosophy and Ethics of Mental Health and Wellbeing for Psychology.

I supervise Philosophical Projects, Masters Dissertations, and PhD theses.

Postgraduate supervision

I supervise postgraduate students in Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Psychology and Philosophy of Psychiatry. To date, more than twenty PhD students have completed at the University of Birmingham under my supervision.

Find out more - our PhD Philosophy page has information about doctoral research at the University of Birmingham.

Research

My research interests include: agency, rationality, and self knowledge in psychopathology; delusion and confabulation; biased cognition; epistemic innocence and epistemic injustice; the notion of disorder in the philosophy of medicine. I am also interested in some issues within biomedical ethics.

I am currently working on Epistemic Injustice in Healthcare. This project is funded by a Wellcome Discovery Award and coordinated by Havi Carel at the University of Bristol.

In 2020-2024 my research on youth mental health and agency was supported by two UKRI funded projects (the Agency Projects), one led by Rose McCabe at City University London, and one by Michael Larkin at Aston University.

For 5 years (2014-2019), I led a project called PERFECT, Pragmatic and Epistemic Role of Factually Erroneous Cognitions and Thoughts, funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant (EUR 1.900.065).

Watch Lisa's inaugural lecture: "Agency without rationality"

Other activities

Professional service

Current roles:

Editor in Chief of Philosophical Psychology.
Series Editor for International Perspectives on Philosophy and Psychiatry, Oxford University Press.
Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Wellbeing.
Member of the Editorial Board of European Journal of Analytic Philosophy.
Member of the Editorial Board of Topoi.
On the Advisory Board of Philosophical Inquiries (philinq).

Previous roles:

Associate Editor for Ethical Theory and Moral Practice (2013-2016).
E-letter Editor for Journal of Medical Ethics (2005-2010).

Editor of Philosophical Psychology.

Series Editor for International Perspectives on Philosophy and Psychiatry, Oxford University Press.
Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Wellbeing.
Member of the Editorial Board of History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.
Member of the Editorial Board of European Journal of Analytic Philosophy.
Member of the Editorial Board of Topoi.
On the Advisory Board of Philosophical Inquiries (philinq).
Associate Editor for Ethical Theory and Moral Practice (2013-2016).
E-letter Editor for Journal of Medical Ethics (2005-2010).

Membership

I am a member of the Higher Education Academy, the British Philosophical Association, the European Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and the European Society for Analytic Philosophy.
Italian Society for Analytic Philosophy (SIFA)
From 2010 to 2013 I was committee member for the British Society for the Philosophy of Science, and from 2010 to 2015 I was on the Executive of the Mind Association.

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Bortolotti, L (ed.) 2024, Epistemic Justice in Mental Healthcare: Recognising Agency and Promoting Virtues Across the Life Span. 1 edn, Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68881-2

Article

Bortolotti, L 2025, 'Agential Epistemic Injustice in Clinical Interactions Is Bad for Medicine', Philosophy of Medicine, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.5195/pom.2025.222

Bortolotti, L 2025, 'Are conspiracy beliefs epistemically innocent?', Philosophical Topics, vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 73-91. https://doi.org/10.5840/philtopics202351217

Bortolotti, L & Zambra Silva, F 2025, 'Criterios epistémicos para la atribución de creencias delirantes', Análisis Filosófico. https://doi.org/10.36446/af.e1025

Bortolotti, L 2025, 'In the Twisted Fairytale of Human Agency, Irrational Beliefs Are the Unlikely Heroes', Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-025-01108-6

Bortolotti, L, Ichino, A & Mameli, G 2025, 'Philosophy for and by Everyone: How Doing Philosophy Supports Epistemic Agency', Revue Internationale de Philosophie.

Bortolotti, L 2024, 'Esperienza e competenza', Rivista di filosofia, vol. 115, no. 2, pp. 303-318. https://doi.org/10.1413/114469

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Bortolotti, L, Murphy-Hollies, K & Byrne, E 2025, Epistemic justice in mental health: new directions. in M Flear & T Harvey (eds), Addressing Epistemic Injustice: Perspectives from Health Law and Ethics.

Agency in Practice team, Larkin, M, McCabe, R, Bortolotti, L, Broome, M, Craythorne, S-L, Temple, R, Lim, M, Fadashe, C, Sims, C, Sharples, O & Cottrell, J 2024, Being Understood: Epistemic Injustice Towards Young People Seeking Support for Their Mental Health. in L Bortolotti (ed.), Epistemic Justice in Mental Healthcare: Recognising Agency and Promoting Virtues Across the Life Span. 1 edn, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68881-2_1

Bortolotti, L, Malpass, F, Murphy-Hollies, K, Somerville-Large, T & Kapoor, G 2024, Challenging Stereotypes About Young People Who Hear Voices. in B Lisa (ed.), Epistemic Justice in Mental Healthcare: Recognising Agency and Promoting Virtues Across the Life Span. 1 edn, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 23-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68881-2_2

Bortolotti, L & Belvederi Murri, M 2024, Delusions and adaptiveness. in E Sullivan-Bissett (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Delusions. 1 edn, Routledge, London.

Expertise

Areas of expertise

Topics in the philosophy of psychiatry such as mental illness and clinical delusions.
Topics in the philosophy of psychology such as rationality and conspiracy theories.

Press releases

Award winning film that explores youth mental health to be screened in Birmingham, 4 June 2019.
Philosopher champions Out of Blue film, 15 October 2018.
Dementia patients with distorted memories may actually retain key information, 6 March 2018.
University of Birmingham academics launch mental health workshop pack, 2 March 2018.

Media experience

Traditional media

Articles based on or citing my research

S Antonetta, I am bipolar. I know what it is to be Britney Spears, The Hill (US), 30 July 2021. Article on the challenges of being bipolar and the assumptions we make about rationality.
R Metcalf, The Making of a Boogeyman, SBS (Australia), 18 May 2021. Article on why people believe certain explanations involving scapegoats when significant events happen.
L Scott, Know someone who believes unfounded COVID-19 theories? Here's how to talk to them about it, The Star (Canada), 25 February 2021. Article on how to address people who believe in conspiracy theories.
L Bortolotti and A Ichino, Siamo tutti complottisti?, La Repubblica, 12 January 2021. Article on conspiracy theories and how it is unhelpful to consider them as pathological.
L Tait, Nobody has found the perfect recipe for stopping conspiracy theories. Sputnik News, 15 December 2020. Interview on conspiracies online and how to stop them.
A Heil, In the Balkans' most divided country, COVID vaccine cuts both ways. Radio Free Europe, 13 December 2020. Article on the effects of COVID denialism on vaccine uptake.
N Davis, Optimism may hold secret to longer life, study suggests, Guardian, 26 August 2019. Article on the effects of optimism on longevity with extended quote by me on the benefits of biased beliefs.
K Puddifoot and L Bortolotti, The Bright Side of Memory Errors, The Philosopher's Magazine, July 2018. Article detailing our view of how memory mechanisms producing distorted memory beliefs can support epistemic agency.
D Jones, Grand delusions: Why we all believe the weirdest things?, New Scientist, 15 November 2017. Article featuring my research on delusions.
A Meyerowitz, Could being unrealistically optimistic by good for your mental health?, Red Magazine, 26th June 2017. Article featuring my research on optimism.
S Ebraham, What is so Zen about imperfection?, Canvas 8, 3rd February 2017. Article in which I am quoted on imperfection.
E Vintiadis, The Irrationality within Us, Scientific American, 12th December 2016. Article where my research on irrationality is discussed.
M Beckford and S Adams, Cancer patient forced to have surgery, Daily Telegraph, 26th May 2010. Article where I am quoted on the ethics of forcing treatment on an incapacitated cancer patient.
J Elder, Striving for perfection, Sunday Age Melbourne, 20th September 2009. Article where I am quoted on the costs and benefits of wanting to be perfect.
L Bortolotti, Should human reproductive cloning be allowed?, BBC Focus Magazine, issue 204, How to Live Forever or Die Trying, 4th June 2009.
L Bortolotti, A moral claim not to feel pain, New Statesman, 28th February 2008

Audio-visual resources

Podcasts and videos based on my research

How to give young people agency in mental health (McPin Foundation, 2021). Also featuring Matthew Broome, Michael Larkin, Rose McCabe, Rachel Temple, and members of the Young People's Advisory Group.
Misinformation. (Forum for European Philosophy, 2021). Also featuring Cailin O'Connor and Quassim Cassam.
RAI Radio3 Scienza: Raccontami una favola (2021).
The Truth about Marriage (The Big Idea, BBC World Service, 2020).
The Epistemic Innocence of Irrational Beliefs: Robert Talisse interviews Lisa Bortolotti (New Books in Philosophy, 2020).
In Conversation... Philosophy of Mind (Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, November 2018). Also featuring Sophie Stammers and Kathy Puddifoot. Podcast.
The Costliest Bias of All (The Evidence-Based Investor, May 2018). Video.
Youth Mental Health (Birmingham Heroes, November 2017). Video.
Clinical Delusions (3CR Community Radio Radical Philosophy, 14 September 2017). Podcast.
How Language and Thought affect our Wellbeing and Success (Voice of Islam Breakfast Show, 11 August 2017). Podcast.
Hypocrisy (BBC Radio 4, The Philosopher's Arms, 13 February 2017). Podcast.
Are We Biased about Love? (Philosophy 24/7, 18 January 2017). Podcast.
Inaugural lecture, Agency without Rationality (University of Birmingham, 9 May 2016). Video.
Emotions: Do they control us? (Forum for European Philosophy, London School of Economics, January 2016). Also featuring Benedetto De Martino and Giovanna Colombetti. Podcast.
Is there a clear line between madness and sanity? (Philosofa Episode 5, January 2016).
Mental Illness (Birmingham Heroes, 2015). Video .
Irrationality (Philosophy Bites, March 2015). Podcast.
Everyday Myths (Modern Art Oxford, "Love is Enough" Exhibition). Video of the lecture.
Panel debate on Wise Choices (Forum for European Philosophy, 2014). Podcast.
Exactly how Irrational are Delusions (interview by Raj Persaud, 2009). Podcast.

Blogging

Founding editor of the Imperfect Cognitions blog.

Guest blogger for Scientia Salon, Psychiatric Ethics, Philosoph-her, Splintered Mind, Brains, Neuroethics & Law, Saving Humans, the Wellcome Trust blog, the AHRC Science in Culture blog and many more.