Dan Degerman
@ddegerman.bsky.social
Research Fellow in philosophy at the University of Bristol working on a project about silence in mood disorders.
beyondvoice.blogs.bristol.ac.uk
https://epistemicinjusticeinhealthcare.org
beyondvoice.blogs.bristol.ac.uk
https://epistemicinjusticeinhealthcare.org
Reposted by Dan Degerman
"Break the silence" slogans can harm more than help BJPsych argues silence in mental illness isn't always stigma, sometimes it's a symptom (depression) or a coping strategy (mania) We need space for "positive silence" instead of pressure
#WorldPhilosophyDay2025
#philsky #philpsy #epistemicinjustice
#WorldPhilosophyDay2025
#philsky #philpsy #epistemicinjustice
On #WorldPhilosophyDay2025, read Jae Ryeong Sul and Dan Degerman's opinion piece in the British Journal of Psychiatry: Why we need a new understanding of silence in mental illness www.cambridge.org/co... #philsky #philpsy #epistemicinjustice
November 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM
"Break the silence" slogans can harm more than help BJPsych argues silence in mental illness isn't always stigma, sometimes it's a symptom (depression) or a coping strategy (mania) We need space for "positive silence" instead of pressure
#WorldPhilosophyDay2025
#philsky #philpsy #epistemicinjustice
#WorldPhilosophyDay2025
#philsky #philpsy #epistemicinjustice
New paper! Its main idea is simple but overlooked: rumination isn’t just persistent negative thinking. It can also involve losing the ability to stop inner speech. This explains why rumination feels overwhelming and why practices cultivating inner silence make a difference.
doi.org/10.1080/0020...
doi.org/10.1080/0020...
November 17, 2025 at 1:03 PM
New paper! Its main idea is simple but overlooked: rumination isn’t just persistent negative thinking. It can also involve losing the ability to stop inner speech. This explains why rumination feels overwhelming and why practices cultivating inner silence make a difference.
doi.org/10.1080/0020...
doi.org/10.1080/0020...
Reposted by Dan Degerman
I'm really excited to finally be able to share this after months of work - our new Project EPIC report on the epistemic determinants of health. With over 20 contributors, we make the case for incorporating this new framework into existing determinants of health models:
bci-hub.org/documents/ep...
bci-hub.org/documents/ep...
The Epistemic Determinants of Health
Health and illness are significantly determined by knowledge and its communication. At first glance, this might seem obvious; people use healthcare systems when they suspect that something might be wr...
bci-hub.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:07 PM
I'm really excited to finally be able to share this after months of work - our new Project EPIC report on the epistemic determinants of health. With over 20 contributors, we make the case for incorporating this new framework into existing determinants of health models:
bci-hub.org/documents/ep...
bci-hub.org/documents/ep...
Silence isn't always a symptom to be 'fixed' in mental illness. In this post for the Project EPIC Blog, I examine how silence can be an act of epistemic agency, particularly for individuals experiencing mania.
epistemicinjusticeinhealthcareproject.blogspot.com/2025/06/reth...
epistemicinjusticeinhealthcareproject.blogspot.com/2025/06/reth...
Rethinking silence and epistemic agency in mental illness
epistemicinjusticeinhealthcareproject.blogspot.com
June 5, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Silence isn't always a symptom to be 'fixed' in mental illness. In this post for the Project EPIC Blog, I examine how silence can be an act of epistemic agency, particularly for individuals experiencing mania.
epistemicinjusticeinhealthcareproject.blogspot.com/2025/06/reth...
epistemicinjusticeinhealthcareproject.blogspot.com/2025/06/reth...
I'm talking about the medicalisation of silence at a philosophy workshop at @swanseauni.bsky.social on Friday. Looking forward to the seaside air and talks by the other speakers, including @annabortolan.bsky.social!
Hope you can attend (in person or online): philevents.org/event/show/1...
Hope you can attend (in person or online): philevents.org/event/show/1...
April 9, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I'm talking about the medicalisation of silence at a philosophy workshop at @swanseauni.bsky.social on Friday. Looking forward to the seaside air and talks by the other speakers, including @annabortolan.bsky.social!
Hope you can attend (in person or online): philevents.org/event/show/1...
Hope you can attend (in person or online): philevents.org/event/show/1...
Reposted by Dan Degerman
I am thrilled to share my latest paper, "Explanatory Essentialism and Cryptic Species," on this platform. I show how concrete biological research challenges one of the strongest arguments for biological essentialism.
#philosophy #biology #essentialism #newpaper
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#philosophy #biology #essentialism #newpaper
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Explanatory essentialism and cryptic species - European Journal for Philosophy of Science
Explanatory Essentialism (EE) is the view that a property is the essence of a kind because it causally explains the many properties that instances of the kind exhibit. This paper examines an applicati...
link.springer.com
March 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I am thrilled to share my latest paper, "Explanatory Essentialism and Cryptic Species," on this platform. I show how concrete biological research challenges one of the strongest arguments for biological essentialism.
#philosophy #biology #essentialism #newpaper
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#philosophy #biology #essentialism #newpaper
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
How can we help people with depression who can't find anything to say? Through 'undemanding silence', argues my colleague Jae Ryeong Sul in his most recent article.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The structure of silence in depression - Synthese
Silence has been a relatively neglected phenomenon despite its significance in psychiatric research. Acknowledging this oversight, there has been a recent move towards systematically describing the fi...
link.springer.com
February 6, 2025 at 9:59 AM
How can we help people with depression who can't find anything to say? Through 'undemanding silence', argues my colleague Jae Ryeong Sul in his most recent article.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Is silence always harmful in mental illness? My new article challenges this assumption. For those experiencing mania, reclaiming silence can be a powerful act of epistemic agency—enabling them to acquire, maintain, and share knowledge on their own terms. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Silence as epistemic agency in mania - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy
Silence is a byword for socially imposed harm in the burgeoning literature on epistemic injustice in psychiatry. While some silence is harmful and should be broken, this understanding of silence is un...
link.springer.com
February 5, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Is silence always harmful in mental illness? My new article challenges this assumption. For those experiencing mania, reclaiming silence can be a powerful act of epistemic agency—enabling them to acquire, maintain, and share knowledge on their own terms. link.springer.com/article/10.1...