Matthew Hannon
Biographic Data
| ID | 298916 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthew Hannon |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matthew |
| FAMILY NAME | Hannon |
| SIGNATURE | HANNON M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Strathclyde |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2342-8555 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 93 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The Role of Transition Intermediaries as Capability Builders for Adopting Radical Innovation in Incumbent Firms: The Case of the UK Energy Supply Sector
Transition intermediaries play a pivotal role in configuring networks aligning the interests of stakeholders to achieve sustainable goals. However, the transition literature has paid little attention to the influence intermediaries can have in strengthening organisational capabilities. Especially in sectors that are slow to change, such as the energy supply industry, where entrenched incumbent firms maintain significant control. In this paper, we…
Against meta-skepticism
This paper addresses a new skeptical challenge called “meta-skepticism.” While traditional skepticism is concerned with whether our beliefs are justified or amount to knowledge, meta-skepticism is concerned with whether the epistemic concepts we use to evaluate our beliefs are significant. The worry is that there are many knowledge-like and justification-like concepts, and no principled reason to prefer our epistemic concepts over rivals. Thus, m…
Understanding philosophy
What is the primary intellectual aim of philosophy? The standard view is that philosophy aims to provide true answers to philosophical questions. But if our aim is to settle controversy by answering such questions, our discipline is an embarrassing failure. Moreover, taking philosophy to aim at providing true answers to these questions leads to a variety of puzzles: How do we account for philosophical expertise? How is philosophical progress poss…
Social identity, understanding, and deference
This paper examines the claim that marginalized individuals possess unique epistemic advantages regarding oppression. Drawing on recent work in the epistemology of understanding, it challenges strong interpretations of the epistemic advantage thesis, which posits an unbridgeable epistemic gap between marginalized and privileged individuals. The paper also critiques recent calls for deference to marginalized groups, arguing that such deference may…
Betting Democracy on Epistemology
This paper examines two major challenges to epistemic theories of democracy: the “authority dilemma” and the “epistemic gamble.” The first is a conceptual challenge, suggesting that epistemic democracy is inherently self-undermining. The second is a normative challenge, asserting that the case for democracy should not rely on precarious epistemic grounds. I argue that both challenges fail, demonstrating that epistemic theories of democracy withst…
Towards a Relational Sociology of Retrofit
Decarbonisation of residential buildings ('retrofit') is vital if nations are to meet declared net zero targets. This challenge is especially acute in the UK, which has some of the least energy efficient homes in Europe. Yet, to date, sociology has paid relatively little attention either to the urgency of this challenge or to its potential solutions. This article uses concepts from relational sociology to propose a complete reframing of the retro…
Is There a Duty to Speak Your Mind
In Why It's OK to Speak Your Mind, Hrishikesh Joshi argues that the open exchange of ideas is essential for the flourishing of individuals and society. He provides two arguments for this claim. First, speaking your mind is essential for the common good: we enhance our collective ability to reach the truth if we share evidence and offer different perspectives. Second, speaking your mind is good for your own sake: it is necessary to develop your ra…
Reply to Gardiner and DiPaolo
In this article, I reply to comments on my book by Georgi Gardiner and Joshua DiPaolo. I will first reply to Gardiner's comments, focusing primarily on her doubts about the adjudicative power of function-first epistemology. I will then reply to DiPaolo, who argues that I have misidentified that primary function of the concept of knowledge
Is Intellectual Humility Compatible with Political Conviction
Intellectual humility is often proposed, these days, as an antidote to the profound lack of respect, tolerance, and openness to other views in contemporary politics. Moreover, deficiencies of intellectual humility are clearly at work in now-familiar displays, in political discourse, of arrogance, dogmatism and related phenomena, like polarization. Although we agree that there are roles for intellectual humility, we identify two problems. First, p…
Developing a relational approach to energy demand: A methodological and conceptual guide
In a recent review of research on the role of social relations in shaping energy demand, authors documented increasing interest in relational approaches to energy [1]. Relational approaches to energy conceive of human behaviour as produced and reproduced by social relations and interactions, placing relationships at the centre of inquiry, as well as understanding these relationships in the context of infrastructure and the built environment. In t…
Financing smart local energy systems: A conceptual framework and research agenda
Smart local energy systems (SLES) are expected to contribute to meeting net zero carbon emission targets, as well as enabling energy decentralisation, democratisation and digitalisation. There are, however, unresolved questions about finance. We extend the existing corporate governance and risk management model CLASS to a new CCLLASS model. The model is used to explore pathways to SLES investment through securitising future cash flows. Case study…
Smart power to the people: Business models for engaging domestic energy users in smart local energy systems in Britain
Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) are proposed as a method of decarbonising energy systems that uses demand management by energy users to integrate intermittent renewables. SLES therefore require the increasingly active participation of energy users in the operation of energy systems. We spoke to operators and developers of existing local energy systems in Britain today, to understand their business models, and how they interact with users. We fi…
Rethinking retrofit: Relational insights for the design of residential energy efficiency policy
The ‘retrofit’ of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable microgeneration measures in homes is a major focus for energy and climate policy. Yet despite policy interventions, few countries are achieving their residential decarbonisation targets. In this paper we argue that a core reason for this failure is the mainstream ‘rational actor’ framing of households, which guides energy efficiency policymaking. We introduce an alternative ‘re…
Who applies for energy grants
Most domestic energy retrofit policies in the UK are designed to incentivise economically rational consumers. Logically, this should mean that applicants to domestic energy incentives are those who can financially benefit the most from these subsidies. Here, we test this logic by asking the question ‘what types of households apply for domestic energy incentives in the UK?’. To answer this question, we systematically assess the characteristics of …
The Politics of Post-Truth
A prevalent political narrative is that we are facing an epistemological crisis, where many citizens no longer care about truth and facts. Yet the view that we are living in a post-truth era relies on some implicit questionable empirical and normative assumptions. The post-truth rhetoric converts epistemic issues into motivational issues, treating people with whom we disagree as if they no longer believe in or care about truth. This narrative is …
Fast breeder reactor technology and the entrepreneurial state in the UK
This article explores the creation, operation and failure of the UK’s fast breeder reactor programme at Dounreay within the context of the development of the nuclear power industry in the UK, and the administration of national and regional economic policy. The UK government maintained total control of the development of the technology including its creation, operation, and attempts at exploitation, corresponding closely to existing definitions of…
Financing grassroots innovation diffusion pathways: The case of UK community energy
Public discourse and its problems
It is widely believed that open and public speech is at the heart of the democratic ideal. Public discourse is instrumentally epistemically valuable for identifying good policies, as well as necessary for resisting domination (e.g. by vocally challenging decision-makers, demanding public justifications, and using democratic speech to hold leaders accountable). But in our highly polarized and socially fragmented political environment, an increasin…
Are knowledgeable voters better voters
It is widely believed that democracies require knowledgeable citizens to function well. But the most politically knowledgeable individuals tend to be the most partisan and the strength of partisan identity tends to corrupt political thinking. This creates a conundrum. On the one hand, an informed citizenry is allegedly necessary for a democracy to flourish. On the other hand, the most knowledgeable and passionate voters are also the most likely t…
The point of political belief
An intuitive and widely accepted view is that (a) beliefs aim at truth, (b) many citizens have stable and meaningful political beliefs, and (c) citizens choose to support political candidates or parties on the basis of their political beliefs. We argue that all three claims are false. First, we argue that political beliefs often differ from ordinary world-modeling beliefs because they do not aim at truth. Second, we draw on empirical evidence fro…
The long term future for community energy in Great Britain: A co-created vision of a thriving sector and steps towards realising it
The (in)justices of smart local energy systems: A systematic review, integrated framework, and future research agenda
Assertion, action, and context
A common objection to both contextualism and relativism about knowledge ascriptions is that they threaten knowledge norms of assertion and action. Consequently, if there is good reason to accept knowledge norms of assertion or action, there is good reason to reject both contextualism and relativism. In this paper we argue that neither contextualism nor relativism threaten knowledge norms of assertion or action
Empathetic Understanding and Deliberative Democracy
Epistemic democracy is standardly characterized in terms of “aiming at truth”. This presupposes a veritistic conception of epistemic value, according to which truth is the fundamental epistemic goal. I will raise an objection to the standard (veritistic) account of epistemic democracy, focusing specifically on deliberative democracy. I then propose a version of deliberative democracy that is grounded in non‐veritistic epistemic goals. In particul…
Intuitions, reflective judgments, and experimental philosophy
The (in)justices of smart local energy systems: A systematic review, integrated framework, and future research agenda
Empathetic Understanding and Deliberative Democracy
Epistemic democracy is standardly characterized in terms of “aiming at truth”. This presupposes a veritistic conception of epistemic value, according to which truth is the fundamental epistemic goal. I will raise an objection to the standard (veritistic) account of epistemic democracy, focusing specifically on deliberative democracy. I then propose a version of deliberative democracy that is grounded in non‐veritistic epistemic goals. In particul…
The Politics of Post-Truth
A prevalent political narrative is that we are facing an epistemological crisis, where many citizens no longer care about truth and facts. Yet the view that we are living in a post-truth era relies on some implicit questionable empirical and normative assumptions. The post-truth rhetoric converts epistemic issues into motivational issues, treating people with whom we disagree as if they no longer believe in or care about truth. This narrative is …
Are knowledgeable voters better voters
It is widely believed that democracies require knowledgeable citizens to function well. But the most politically knowledgeable individuals tend to be the most partisan and the strength of partisan identity tends to corrupt political thinking. This creates a conundrum. On the one hand, an informed citizenry is allegedly necessary for a democracy to flourish. On the other hand, the most knowledgeable and passionate voters are also the most likely t…
The long term future for community energy in Great Britain: A co-created vision of a thriving sector and steps towards realising it
Rethinking retrofit: Relational insights for the design of residential energy efficiency policy
The ‘retrofit’ of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable microgeneration measures in homes is a major focus for energy and climate policy. Yet despite policy interventions, few countries are achieving their residential decarbonisation targets. In this paper we argue that a core reason for this failure is the mainstream ‘rational actor’ framing of households, which guides energy efficiency policymaking. We introduce an alternative ‘re…
Intuitions, reflective judgments, and experimental philosophy
Developing a relational approach to energy demand: A methodological and conceptual guide
In a recent review of research on the role of social relations in shaping energy demand, authors documented increasing interest in relational approaches to energy [1]. Relational approaches to energy conceive of human behaviour as produced and reproduced by social relations and interactions, placing relationships at the centre of inquiry, as well as understanding these relationships in the context of infrastructure and the built environment. In t…
Public discourse and its problems
It is widely believed that open and public speech is at the heart of the democratic ideal. Public discourse is instrumentally epistemically valuable for identifying good policies, as well as necessary for resisting domination (e.g. by vocally challenging decision-makers, demanding public justifications, and using democratic speech to hold leaders accountable). But in our highly polarized and socially fragmented political environment, an increasin…
The universal core of knowledge
Who applies for energy grants
Most domestic energy retrofit policies in the UK are designed to incentivise economically rational consumers. Logically, this should mean that applicants to domestic energy incentives are those who can financially benefit the most from these subsidies. Here, we test this logic by asking the question ‘what types of households apply for domestic energy incentives in the UK?’. To answer this question, we systematically assess the characteristics of …
Financing grassroots innovation diffusion pathways: The case of UK community energy
Fallibilism and the value of knowledge
Fast breeder reactor technology and the entrepreneurial state in the UK
This article explores the creation, operation and failure of the UK’s fast breeder reactor programme at Dounreay within the context of the development of the nuclear power industry in the UK, and the administration of national and regional economic policy. The UK government maintained total control of the development of the technology including its creation, operation, and attempts at exploitation, corresponding closely to existing definitions of…
The Importance of Knowledge Ascriptions
Knowledge ascriptions of the form 'S knows thatp' are a central area of research in philosophy. But why do humans think and talk about knowledge? What are knowledge ascriptionsfor? This article surveys a variety of proposals about the role (or roles) of knowledge ascriptions and attempts to provide a unified account of these seemingly distinct views
Fallibilism and the value of knowledge
The universal core of knowledge
The Importance of Knowledge Ascriptions
Knowledge ascriptions of the form 'S knows thatp' are a central area of research in philosophy. But why do humans think and talk about knowledge? What are knowledge ascriptionsfor? This article surveys a variety of proposals about the role (or roles) of knowledge ascriptions and attempts to provide a unified account of these seemingly distinct views
Governing sustainability transitions through business model innovation: Towards a systems understanding
This paper examines the role of innovative business models in the transformation of socio-technical systems. Focusing on decentralised energy technologies, we explore business model innovation in the context of a transition towards a more sustainable energy system. We conduct an empirical study of two Energy Services Company (ESCo) models for the deployment of combined heat and power with district heating (CHP/DH) infrastructure in the UK. Based …
Intuitions, reflective judgments, and experimental philosophy
Empathetic Understanding and Deliberative Democracy
Epistemic democracy is standardly characterized in terms of “aiming at truth”. This presupposes a veritistic conception of epistemic value, according to which truth is the fundamental epistemic goal. I will raise an objection to the standard (veritistic) account of epistemic democracy, focusing specifically on deliberative democracy. I then propose a version of deliberative democracy that is grounded in non‐veritistic epistemic goals. In particul…
The point of political belief
An intuitive and widely accepted view is that (a) beliefs aim at truth, (b) many citizens have stable and meaningful political beliefs, and (c) citizens choose to support political candidates or parties on the basis of their political beliefs. We argue that all three claims are false. First, we argue that political beliefs often differ from ordinary world-modeling beliefs because they do not aim at truth. Second, we draw on empirical evidence fro…
The long term future for community energy in Great Britain: A co-created vision of a thriving sector and steps towards realising it
The (in)justices of smart local energy systems: A systematic review, integrated framework, and future research agenda
Assertion, action, and context
A common objection to both contextualism and relativism about knowledge ascriptions is that they threaten knowledge norms of assertion and action. Consequently, if there is good reason to accept knowledge norms of assertion or action, there is good reason to reject both contextualism and relativism. In this paper we argue that neither contextualism nor relativism threaten knowledge norms of assertion or action
Fast breeder reactor technology and the entrepreneurial state in the UK
This article explores the creation, operation and failure of the UK’s fast breeder reactor programme at Dounreay within the context of the development of the nuclear power industry in the UK, and the administration of national and regional economic policy. The UK government maintained total control of the development of the technology including its creation, operation, and attempts at exploitation, corresponding closely to existing definitions of…
Financing grassroots innovation diffusion pathways: The case of UK community energy
Public discourse and its problems
It is widely believed that open and public speech is at the heart of the democratic ideal. Public discourse is instrumentally epistemically valuable for identifying good policies, as well as necessary for resisting domination (e.g. by vocally challenging decision-makers, demanding public justifications, and using democratic speech to hold leaders accountable). But in our highly polarized and socially fragmented political environment, an increasin…
Are knowledgeable voters better voters
It is widely believed that democracies require knowledgeable citizens to function well. But the most politically knowledgeable individuals tend to be the most partisan and the strength of partisan identity tends to corrupt political thinking. This creates a conundrum. On the one hand, an informed citizenry is allegedly necessary for a democracy to flourish. On the other hand, the most knowledgeable and passionate voters are also the most likely t…
Who applies for energy grants
Most domestic energy retrofit policies in the UK are designed to incentivise economically rational consumers. Logically, this should mean that applicants to domestic energy incentives are those who can financially benefit the most from these subsidies. Here, we test this logic by asking the question ‘what types of households apply for domestic energy incentives in the UK?’. To answer this question, we systematically assess the characteristics of …
The Politics of Post-Truth
A prevalent political narrative is that we are facing an epistemological crisis, where many citizens no longer care about truth and facts. Yet the view that we are living in a post-truth era relies on some implicit questionable empirical and normative assumptions. The post-truth rhetoric converts epistemic issues into motivational issues, treating people with whom we disagree as if they no longer believe in or care about truth. This narrative is …
Is There a Duty to Speak Your Mind
In Why It's OK to Speak Your Mind, Hrishikesh Joshi argues that the open exchange of ideas is essential for the flourishing of individuals and society. He provides two arguments for this claim. First, speaking your mind is essential for the common good: we enhance our collective ability to reach the truth if we share evidence and offer different perspectives. Second, speaking your mind is good for your own sake: it is necessary to develop your ra…
Reply to Gardiner and DiPaolo
In this article, I reply to comments on my book by Georgi Gardiner and Joshua DiPaolo. I will first reply to Gardiner's comments, focusing primarily on her doubts about the adjudicative power of function-first epistemology. I will then reply to DiPaolo, who argues that I have misidentified that primary function of the concept of knowledge
Is Intellectual Humility Compatible with Political Conviction
Intellectual humility is often proposed, these days, as an antidote to the profound lack of respect, tolerance, and openness to other views in contemporary politics. Moreover, deficiencies of intellectual humility are clearly at work in now-familiar displays, in political discourse, of arrogance, dogmatism and related phenomena, like polarization. Although we agree that there are roles for intellectual humility, we identify two problems. First, p…
Developing a relational approach to energy demand: A methodological and conceptual guide
In a recent review of research on the role of social relations in shaping energy demand, authors documented increasing interest in relational approaches to energy [1]. Relational approaches to energy conceive of human behaviour as produced and reproduced by social relations and interactions, placing relationships at the centre of inquiry, as well as understanding these relationships in the context of infrastructure and the built environment. In t…
Financing smart local energy systems: A conceptual framework and research agenda
Smart local energy systems (SLES) are expected to contribute to meeting net zero carbon emission targets, as well as enabling energy decentralisation, democratisation and digitalisation. There are, however, unresolved questions about finance. We extend the existing corporate governance and risk management model CLASS to a new CCLLASS model. The model is used to explore pathways to SLES investment through securitising future cash flows. Case study…
Smart power to the people: Business models for engaging domestic energy users in smart local energy systems in Britain
Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) are proposed as a method of decarbonising energy systems that uses demand management by energy users to integrate intermittent renewables. SLES therefore require the increasingly active participation of energy users in the operation of energy systems. We spoke to operators and developers of existing local energy systems in Britain today, to understand their business models, and how they interact with users. We fi…
Rethinking retrofit: Relational insights for the design of residential energy efficiency policy
The ‘retrofit’ of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable microgeneration measures in homes is a major focus for energy and climate policy. Yet despite policy interventions, few countries are achieving their residential decarbonisation targets. In this paper we argue that a core reason for this failure is the mainstream ‘rational actor’ framing of households, which guides energy efficiency policymaking. We introduce an alternative ‘re…
Social identity, understanding, and deference
This paper examines the claim that marginalized individuals possess unique epistemic advantages regarding oppression. Drawing on recent work in the epistemology of understanding, it challenges strong interpretations of the epistemic advantage thesis, which posits an unbridgeable epistemic gap between marginalized and privileged individuals. The paper also critiques recent calls for deference to marginalized groups, arguing that such deference may…
Betting Democracy on Epistemology
This paper examines two major challenges to epistemic theories of democracy: the “authority dilemma” and the “epistemic gamble.” The first is a conceptual challenge, suggesting that epistemic democracy is inherently self-undermining. The second is a normative challenge, asserting that the case for democracy should not rely on precarious epistemic grounds. I argue that both challenges fail, demonstrating that epistemic theories of democracy withst…
Epistemology (17 works) · Philosophy (16 works) · Computer Science (13 works) · Political science (13 works) · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics (12 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Business (9 works) · Metaphysics (8 works) · Economics (7 works) · Law (7 works)