Robert H Smithson

I am an Associate Professor in Philosophy at UNC-Wilmington. Previously, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Rollins College and a Visiting Lecturer at Duke University. I received my Ph.D. in philosophy at at UNC-CH in 2016. I received my M.A. in 2012. In 2010, I completed my undergraduate work at the University of Virginia where I studied physics and economics. My research interests are in metaphysics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind. I have also published work in moral psychology, epistemology, and the philosophy of artificial intelligence. Aside from philosophy, I love racing bicycles, rock climbing, and playing music. I have three wonderful children: Erin, Clay, and Matthew.

Education

Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.A. in Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.A. in Physics and Economics, University of Virginia

Specialization in Teaching

At the upper division level, I teach classes such as: philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, philosophy of art, ethics, and the philosophy of artificial intelligence. At the lower levels, I teach courses in logic and early modern philosophy as well as introductory courses.

I have a special interest in the proper role of AI in university pedagogy. In 2024, I published a research paper on the use of AI in the classroom: “Reviving the Dialogue with Large Language Models” in the journal Teaching Philosophy. This paper recently won a prize as the most outstanding paper published in Teaching Philosophy over the past year.

Research Interests

My work examines the ways in which metaphysics can alienate us as human beings: how it undermines our understanding of ourselves, our presence in the world, and our relations to each other. Must it or ought it be this way? Perhaps we can find a metaphysics that returns us to our proper place. (And is true!)

The main focus of my current research are large language models (such as chatGPT). On the theoretical side, I am interested in questions relating to the interpretability of LLMs. On the ethical side, I am analyzing these models through the moral philosophy of Iris Murdoch.

Another major area of my research is idealism: the view that physical truths are settled by truths about the actual and possible conscious experience of macroscopic subjects. Admittedly, this description makes idealism sound like some kind of bewildering, speculative metaphysical hypothesis. But I argue that, properly understood, idealism vindicates our pre-reflective understanding of the sensible world and our place in it. Idealism also helps us face up, in a clear-eyed way, to anxieties about the mind-body problem, external world skepticism, perceptual illusion, ontology, the scientific image, and our perceptual access to the world.

A third area of research is the metaphysics of Iris Murdoch. There has been much discussion of Murdoch's moral thought. But her moral thought cannot be separated from her (neglected) work in metaphysics.

Professional Service

In the Philosophy & Religion Department, I have chaired many committees, including search committees, the Recruitment Committee, the AI Committee, and the Policy Revision Committee.
I have served as a frequent judge, coach, and case writer for National High School Ethics Bowl.
I have also served as a referee for Nous, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Philosophical Studies, European Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Analysis, Erkenntnis, Ergo, Philosophical Quarterly, Synthese, Thought, Minds and Machines, Philosophia, OUP, Routledge

Community Engagement

I have given many talks and presentations about the proper use of AI in pedagogy, both at UNCW and in the broader academic community. I have also written essays on AI pedagogy on various academic blogs.

I chaired UNCW's SAILR Teaching Subcommittee which was tasked by the Provost to provide guidance to faculty on integrating and managing AI within the classroom. I served as a faculty consultant for CTE’s Innovation in AI initiative. As a part of this program, I worked with faculty from across the university in an effort to design new AI assignments. I was also a Facilitator for CTE's AI in Pedagogy Community of Practice workshops. I also led a workshop for CTE's Summer AI Bootcamp in 2025.

Honors & Awards

2025: On Coming to Resemble a Picture: A Murdochian Critique of Large Language Models. Humanities AI Grant. CHSSA, UNCW.
2025: Cross-Linguistic Moral Temperaments of LLMs. Humanities AI Pilot Grant. CHSSA, UNCW.
2024: The Moral Sensibilities of Large Language Models. Humanities AI Pilot Grant. College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts, UNCW.
2024: The Moral Sensibilities of Large Language Models. Cosmos Ventures.
2024: Teaching Philosophy Association’s prize for “Outstanding Article of the Year" for "Reviving the Dialogue with Large Language Models”