Abigail Bergeron
Ph.D. Student
Philosophy
Research Interests
Continental Philosophy, Philosophy of Technology, Philosophy of Law, Existentialism
Biography
- B.A. Honours (Philosophy), Trent University
- L.L.B. (Law), Swansea University
- M.A. (Philosophy: Political and Legal Thought Specialization), Queen鈥檚 University
- L.L.M. (Law), Queen鈥檚 University
Abigail鈥檚 prior research interests include the philosophy of law, particularly constitutional rights jurisprudence and freedom of speech. Her recent Master of Law鈥檚 (LLM) thesis focused on the role of behaviour and speech in online environments, whether online speech can be considered equivalent to forms of in-person or traditional distance communication, and how this tracks the moral and legal regulation of online environments.
Abigail鈥檚 current doctoral research builds upon her MA thesis, which applied Continental philosophy to the problem of technological change and technological determinism in relation to driverless cars. While she is interested in the works of Martin Heidegger, Jacques Ellul and Henry Thoreau, her primary focus is on Albert Borgmann and his framework for interpreting the damaging effects technological devices have had on human life, community and meaning鈥攑articularly the negative consequences of incipient GenAI. Her work concerning the impact of social media and digital technology has been published in How Does the Digitization of Our World Change Our Orientation? (2023) Orientation and she has a forthcoming article in The Journal of Camus Studies. She also works as a Graduate Student Advisor for the Queen鈥檚 Society of Graduate & Professional Students. In her spare time she grows pumpkins and cares for her five cats.