Herman Cappelen is a leading philosopher of language and a pioneer of "conceptual engineering." He is the author of The Concept of Democracy (Oxford University Press), where he argues that the word "democracy" fails to pick out anything real, is persistently abused for rhetorical ends, and should be abandoned altogether.

He is Chair Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong, where he leads its MA in AI, Ethics, and Society and co-directs the AI & Humanity research centre, interrogating the ways in which AI interacts with and transforms humanity. 

Herman Cappelen is a leading philosopher of language and a pioneer of "conceptual engineering." He is the author of The Concept of Democracy (Oxford University Press), where he argues that the word "democracy" fails to pick out anything real, is persistently abused for rhetorical ends, and should be abandoned altogether.

He is Chair Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong, where he leads its MA in AI, Ethics, and Society and co-directs the AI & Humanity research centre, interrogating the ways in which AI interacts with and transforms humanity.