Aberdein, Andrew
Andrew Aberdein
Professor | College of Psych. and Liberal Arts - School of Arts and Communication
Chair of Humanities
Contact Information
Professional Experience
Dr. Aberdein has taught at Florida Tech since 2003. He has also held visiting research positions at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the University of Windsor in Ontario. Prior to his appointment at Florida Tech he was a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Logic & Metaphysics from the University of St. Andrews in 2001.
Selected Publications
Populism and the virtues of argument. In Engaging populism: Democracy and the intellectual virtues, Gregory R. Peterson, Michael Berhow, & George Tsakiridis, edd. (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), pp. 147–63.
Is every definition persuasive? Douglas Walton on persuasiveness of definition (with Jakub Pruś). Informal logic 42(1), 2022, pp. 23–45.
Virtue theory of mathematical practices: An introduction (with Colin Jakob Rittberg & Fenner Stanley Tanswell). Synthese 199(3–4), 2021, pp. 10167–80.
Courageous arguments and deep disagreements. Topoi 40(5), 2021, pp. 1205–12.
Was Aristotle a virtue argumentation theorist? In Essays on argumentation in antiquity, Joseph Bjelde, David Merry, & Christopher Roser, edd. (Cham: Springer, 2021), pp. 215–29.
Dialogue types, argumentation schemes, and mathematical practice: Douglas Walton and mathematics. Journal of applied logics 8(1), 2021, pp. 159–82.
Arrogance and deep disagreement. In Polarisation, arrogance, and dogmatism: Philosophical perspectives, Alessandra Tanesini & Michael P. Lynch, edd. (London: Routledge, 2020), pp. 39–52.
Intellectual humility and argumentation. In The Routledge handbook of philosophy of humility, Mark Alfano, Michael P. Lynch, & Alessandra Tanesini, edd. (London: Routledge, 2020), pp. 325–34.
Eudaimonistic argumentation. In From argument schemes to argumentative relations in the wild: A variety of contributions to argumentation theory, Frans H. van Eemeren & Bart Garssen, edd. (Cham: Springer, 2020), pp. 97–106.
Are aesthetic judgements purely aesthetic? Testing the social conformity account (with Matthew Inglis). ZDM mathematics education 52(6), 2020, pp. 1127–36.
Using crowdsourced mathematics to understand mathematical practice (with Alison Pease, Ursula Martin, & Fenner Stanley Tanswell). ZDM mathematics education 52(6), 2020, pp. 1087–98.
Advances in experimental philosophy of logic and mathematics (edited with Matthew Inglis). (London: Bloomsbury, 2019).
Mathematical monsters. In Monsters, monstrosities, and the monstrous in culture and society, Diego Compagna & Stefanie Steinhart, edd. (Wilmington, DE: Vernon Press, 2019), pp. 391–412.
Evidence, proofs, and derivations. ZDM mathematics education 51(5), 2019, pp. 825–34.
Explanation in mathematical conversations: An empirical investigation (with Alison Pease & Ursula Martin). Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society A 377, 2019.
Virtuous norms for visual arguers. Argumentation 32(1), 2018, pp. 1–23.
Redefining revolutions. In The Kuhnian image of science: Time for a decisive transformation?, Moti Mizrahi, ed. (London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), pp. 133–54.
Arguments with losers. Florida philosophical review 16(1), 2016, pp. 1–11.
The vices of argument. Topoi 35(2), 2016, pp. 413–22.
Beauty is not simplicity: An analysis of mathematicians’ proof appraisals (with Matthew Inglis). Philosophia mathematica 23(1), 2015, pp. 87–109.
Rhetoric: The art of persuasion (with Adina Arvatu). (Glastonbury: Wooden, 2015).
In defence of virtue: The legitimacy of agent-based argument appraisal. Informal logic 34(1), 2014, pp. 77–93.
The argument of mathematics, (edited with Ian Dove). (Dordrecht: Springer, 2013).
Mathematical wit and mathematical cognition. Topics in cognitive science, 5(2), 2013, pp. 231–50.
The judo principle, philosophical method and the logic of jokes. In Philosophy and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Nicholas Joll, ed. (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), pp. 213–35.
Five theories of reasoning: Interconnections and applications to mathematics (with Alison Pease). Logic and logical philosophy 20(1-2), 2011, pp. 7-57.
Strange bedfellows: The interpenetration of philosophy and pornography. In Porn: How to think with kink, Dave Monroe, ed. (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), pp. 22-34.
Observations on sick mathematics. In Philosophical perspectives on mathematical practice, Bart Van Kerkhove, Jonas De Vuyst, & Jean Paul Van Bendegem, edd. (London: College Publications, 2010), pp. 269-300.
Virtue in argument. Argumentation, 24(2), 2010, pp. 165-179.
The philosophy of alternative logics (with Stephen Read). In Development of Modern Logic, L. Haaparanta, ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), pp. 627-738.
Research
- Knowledge and justification in mathematical practice
- Explanation, especially in mathematics
- Error and theory change in science
- Virtue theory, especially as applied to argumentation
Research & Project Interests
Much of Dr. Aberdein's research is concerned with the interplay of formal and informal accounts of human reason. He is particularly interested in argumentation theory, and its use in understanding science, technology, and mathematics.