Martin Peterson

Professor of Philosophy
Elisabeth Scurlock Chair of Human Values

Email

mbpeterson@smu.edu
Office Location

Hyer Hall 211A
Phone

(214) 768-7912

Education

Ph.D., Philosophy, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden (2003)
M.A., Philosophy, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden (1998)

Curriculum Vitae

Biography

Martin Peterson joined 正品蓝导航’s Department of Philosophy as Full Professor and Elisabeth Scurlock Chair in Human Values of Ethics in Artificial Intelligence in August 2026.

Peterson conducts research in AI ethics, ethics of technology, normative ethics, and decision theory. His work examines philosophical questions about emerging technologies, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence and rational decision-making.

Before joining the Department of Philosophy at 正品蓝导航, Peterson was the Sue G. and Harry E. Bovay Jr. Professor of the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering and Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University, where he served from 2014 to 2026. He previously held academic positions at Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Cambridge.

Peterson is the author of several books, including Ethics for Engineers (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed. 2025), Ethics in the Gray Area (Cambridge University Press, 2023), The Ethics of Technology (Oxford University Press, 2017), The Dimensions of Consequentialism (Cambridge University Press, 2013), An Introduction to Decision Theory (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed. 2017), and Non-Bayesian Decision Theory (Springer, 2008). He is also Editor of Cambridge Elements in Decision Theory and Philosophy.

He received his BA and MA from Stockholm University and his PhD in philosophy from KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Research Interests

  • Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Technology
  • Decision Theory
  • Normative Ethics

Selected Publications

  • Ethics for Engineers, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2025)
  • Ethics in the Gray Area (Cambridge University Press, 2023)
  • The Ethics of Technology: A Geometric Analysis of Five Moral Principles (Oxford University Press, 2017)
  • An Introduction to Decision Theory, 2nd ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2017)
  • The Dimensions of Consequentialism: Ethics, Equality and Risk (Cambridge University Press, 2013)
  • Non-Bayesian Decision Theory: Beliefs and Desires as Reasons for Action (Springer, 2008)

Areas of Expertise

  • Artificial Intelligence and Technology Ethics
  • AI Value Alignment
  • Engineering Ethics
  • Decision Theory
  • Normative Ethics, esp. Consequentialism
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