Social Epistemology
Objectives
Available soon
General characterization
Code
01109588
Credits
6.0
Responsible teacher
Nuno Carlos da Silva Carvalho Costa Venturinha
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - 168
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
Available soon
Bibliography
Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. Oxford: OUP.
Goldberg, S. (2010). Relying on Others: An Essay in Epistemology. Oxford: OUP.
Goldman, A., & D. Whitcomb, eds. (2011). Social Epistemology: Essential Readings. Oxford: OUP.
Greco, J. (2021). The Transmission of Knowledge. Cambridge: CUP.
Haddock, A., Millar, A., & D. Pritchard, eds. (2010). Social Epistemology. Oxford: OUP.
Hardwig, J. (1985) “Epistemic Dependence”. The Journal of Philosophy 82: 335-349.
Lackey, J. (2007). “Why We Don’t Deserve Credit for Everything We Know”. Synthese 158: 345-361.
Levy, N. (2007). “Radically Socialized Knowledge and Conspiracy Theories”. Episteme 4: 181-192.
Longino, H. (2002). The Fate of Knowledge. Princeton: PUP.
Medina, J. (2011). “The Relevance of Credibility Excess in a Proportional View of Epistemic Injustice”. Social Epistemology 25: 15-35.
Zagzebski, L. (2012), Epistemic Authority: A Theory of Trust, Authority, and Autonomy in Belief. Oxford: OUP.
Teaching method
Each session will consist of lectures presenting and explaining the content of the chosen texts, as well as discussions on the arguments and theoretical stances encountered throughout the course. Students will not be required to read all the texts in advance of each lecture, but the course content will always be referenced in relation to specific texts introduced and discussed in class, which will be made available to them. The final weeks of the course will be dedicated to a general revision of its topics and students will have the opportunity to give a 20-minute presentation on a topic of their choice, each followed by a 10-minute Q&A session led by their classmates. This will allow students to develop the skills and competencies necessary to engage critically with the topics and texts covered in the course.
Evaluation method
Attendance and participation (30%). In the final weeks of the course, students will be required to give in-class presentations on specific themes, topics or problems explored in the course.
Written essay (70%). At the end of the course, students must select a subject different from the one they presented on and write a 3,000-word essay on it.
Subject matter
1. Social Epistemology
1.1. Different approaches in social epistemology
1.2. What's social about social epistemology?
2. Trust
2.1. Social epistemic dependence
2.2. Epistemic trust
2.3. Being a good informant
3. Testimony
3.1. Reductionism
3.2. Anti-reductionism
3.3. Transmission and generation of knowledge
4. Social Knowledge
4.1. Group knowledge
4.2. Knowledge as a social kind
5. The epistemology of peer disagreement
5.1. Conciliationism vs. steadfastness
5.2. Epistemic peers and justificationism
5.3. Scientific disagreements
6. Expertise
6.1. Who are epistemic experts?
6.2. Epistemic authority and autonomy
7. Epistemic Injustice
7.1. Testimonial and hermeneutical injustice
7.2. Epistemic injustice and recognition
8. Epistemic Maladies
8.1. Conspiracy theories
8.2. Fake news
8.3. Echo chambers
9. Political Epistemology
9.1. Distrust and epistemic vigilance
9.2. Science, objectivity and democracy