Sune Hannibal Holm

Sune Hannibal Holm

Associate Professor

ORCID: 0000-0002-3812-7942

Sune Holm is associate professor in philosophy and holds a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews (UK).

Sune's current research focuses on questions concerning the ethics of AI, philosophy of biology, and bioethics. He is the PI of a DFF2 project on the role of the machine metaphor in the life sciences and chief researcher in the project Responsible AI which in collaboration with the Science AI Centre, aims to assess the ethical issues surrounding the development and application of AI and machine learning algorithms, contribute to an ethical code for the Science AI Centre, and develop teaching material and methods in data ethics for students at the Science faculty.

 

In recent years Sune has primarily taught courses in ethics and philosophy of science. He is an experienced supervisor at both BA, MA, and PhD-level.

Primary fields of research

 

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

  • Privacy
  • Autonomy
  • Transparency
  • Responsibility
  • Discrimination
  • Integrity
  • Predictive algorithms
  • Data ownership and control

 

Moral theory

  • Work discussing the morality of risk-imposing actions from the perspective of consequentialist, rights-based, and contractualist moral theories

  • Work discussing the moral basis of the precautionary principle, the moral significance of risk thresholds, and the role of public deliberation in decisions about risky biotechnology.

  • Interdisciplinary work on ethics and patent law of CRISPR/Cas 9 technology

  • Doctoral research on personal identity and questions about inter- and intrapersonal distribution of welfare.

Environmental, bio-and medical ethics

  • Work on the moral status of living beings and the relation between moral status and the ontology of organisms.

  • Author of some of the first papers discussing the moral status and interests of organisms in light of developments in synthetic biology.

  • Published work assessing biocentric accounts of the moral value of life appealing to natural selection-based accounts of the biological function.

  • Published work analysing function-based concepts of health and disease in the context of synthetic biology.

  • Published work on ethical aspects of synthetic biology, e.g. on the need for an analytic approach.

Applied Philosophy and Philosophy of Technology

  • Work discussing the nature of artifacts and normative and evolutionary accounts of artifact functions.

  • Work on artifacts focusing on morally relevant differences and similarities between organisms and machines.

    Philosophy of Science

  • Work in philosophy of biology focusing on theories of biological function.

  • Work discussing Cartesian mechanical approaches to living systems.

  • Research on causation in biological systems, the ontological and epistemologica role of models in synthetic and systems biology, and on the machine analogy and engineering approaches to biology

Teaching

Theoretical and practical philosophy

Selected publications

  1. Published

    Breaking & Entering

    Horst, M., Dalsgård, B., Davies, S. R., Glerup, C., Sandvik, K., Knudsen, J., Juul, A., Heinz, N. & Holm, S. H., 22 Jun 2014

    Research output: Non-textual form › 2D/3D (psysical products) › Communication

  2. Published

    Is Synthetic Biology Mechanical Biology?

    Holm, S. H., 2015, In : History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences. 37, 4, p. 413-429 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

  3. Published

    Bridging Bioethics and Biology

    Holm, S. H., 2016, In : Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. 55, p. 133-136 4 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Literature review › Research › peer-review

  4. Published

    A Right Against Risk Imposition and the Problem of Paralysis

    Holm, S. H., 2016, In : Ethical Theory and Moral Practice. 19, 4, p. 917-930 14 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

  5. Accepted/In press

    Philosophical Foundations of the Precautionary Principle: Ethics, Policy, and Environment special issue

    Holm, S. H. (ed.) & Steel, D. (ed.), 2018, (Accepted/In press) Taylor & Francis.

    Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › Research › peer-review

  6. Published

    Organism and Artifact? Proper Functions in Paley Organisms

    Holm, S. H., 2013, In : Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. 44, 4, p. 706-713 8 p., Part B.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

  7. Published

    Disease, Dysfunction, and Synthetic Biology

    Holm, S. H., 2014, In : Journal of Medicine and Philosophy. 39, 4, p. 329-345 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

  8. Published

    Health as a property of engineered living systems

    Holm, S. H., 2013, In : Bioethics. 27, 8, p. 419-425 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

  9. Published

    The Capacities, Interests, and Organisation of Artifactual Organisms

    Holm, S. H., 2013, Designer Biology: The Ethics of Intensively Engineering Biological and Ecological Systems. Sandler, R. L. & Basl, J. (eds.). Lexington Books, p. 233-252 20 p.

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

  10. Published

    Biological Interests, Normative Functions, and Synthetic Biology

    Holm, S. H., 2012, In : Philosophy & Technology. 25, 4, p. 525-541 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

  11. Published

    The Scientific Aspirations of Synthetic Biology and the Need for Analytic Ethics

    Holm, S. H., 2012, In : Ethics, Policy & Environment. 15, 1, p. 25-28 4 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Selected activities

  1. 4th Conference for the European Philosophy of Science Association

    Sune Hannibal Holm (Speaker)
    29 Aug 2013

    Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course

  2. Meeting of the International Society for History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology

    Sune Hannibal Holm (Speaker)
    7 Jul 2013

    Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course

  3. Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP) Fourth Biennial Conference

    Sune Hannibal Holm (Speaker)
    26 Jun 2013 → 29 Jun 2013

    Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course

  4. Teleological Organisation

    Sune Hannibal Holm (Organizer)
    23 Aug 2012 → 24 Aug 2012

    Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation of and participation in conference

  5. Engineering Life Philosophical and Societal Perspectives on Synthetic Biology

    Sune Hannibal Holm (Organizer)
    2 Sep 2011

    Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation of and participation in conference

  6. Organism and Machine: The Conceptual and Normative Challenges of Synthetic Biology

    Sune Hannibal Holm (Organizer)
    2011

    Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation of and participation in conference

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