Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge Books

Book SynopsisAristotle's Metaphysics is an extremely rich and important philosophical work, unique in that it is an inquiry devoted to discovering a doctrine, rather than a treatise that defends a doctrine. This title presents an introduction to the text, offering guidance on: philosophical context; key themes; reading the text; and, reception and influence.Trade Review‘Having already earned an enduring place as an expositor of Aristotle's work in his One and Many in Aristotle's Metaphysics, Edward C. Halper now proves that he is an expert teacher as well. Informed throughout by his unique awareness of the dialectical integrity of this indispensable text, Halper's pellucid guide provides the beginner with a firm foundation for further progress in philosophy.' -- William H.F. Altman, author of Plato the Teacher: The Crisis of the Republic.‘Aristotle's Metaphysics is not an easy book to read, but now it is possible for both graduate and undergraduate classes to study it first-hand. Ed Halper has done a beautiful job of mapping the whole terrain of Aristotle's complex dialectical argument from beginning to end.Thanks to this overview of the whole, one can now chart a well-informed course through a coherent sequence of its parts.' -- Joe Sachs, translator of the Metaphysics and other works of Aristotle.‘This clear and concise book is an invaluable guide to one of Aristotle's most important and profound works. The analysis that Halper offers allow those beginning to navigate the intricacies of Aristotle's Metaphysics to see the main lines of each argument and to make sense of the work as an integral whole.' -- Owen Goldin, Professor of Philosophy at Marquette University, USA. ‘This is an elegant introduction to the main lines of Aristotle's Metaphysics and at the same time an argument for the unity and coherence of the work. It distills decades of reflection on one of the most intricate texts in the Western philosophical tradition. Halper excels at expressing the subtleties of Aristotle's thought in plain English. The reader who is struggling to figure out what Aristotle is up to in the Metaphysics will find much help here.' -- Arthur Madigan S.J., Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, USATable of Contents1. Context; 2. Overview of Themes; 3. Reading the Text; 4. Reception and Influence; 5. Further Reading; Notes; Index.

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Book SynopsisMats Bergman is a Junior Research Fellow at the Academy of Finland and the Department of Communication, University of Helsinki, Finland.Trade Review'Mats Bergman has executed a remarkable feat. He has, at once, offered a lucid exposition of Peirce's theory of signs accessible to those unfamiliar with this theory and a carefully argued, textually substantiated re-interpretation of Peirce's position ... Peirce's Philosophy of Communication makes an extremely important contribution to Peirce no less than communication studies.' - Vincent Colapietro, Liberal Arts Research Professor, Pennsylvania State University, USA 'Bergman takes a novel approach to the study of Peirce 's semeiotic by modeling it as a theory of communication, rather than as an epistemological or logical theory ... In making his case, Bergman provides a comprehensive and exciting review of the critical controversies in Peirce 's semeiotic. This is a book not only for those interested in theories of communication, but also those seeking a solid overview of Peirce's theory of signs.'-James Liszka, Professor of Philosophy, University of Alaska Anchorage, USATable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. A Social Conception of Science; 3. Beyond the Doctrine of Signs; 4. From Representation to Mediation; 5. Prospects of Communication; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisWhat do we mean when we speak about the soul? What are the arguments for the existence of the soul as distinct from the physical body? Do animals have souls? What is the difference between the mind and the soul? The Soul Hypothesisbrings together experts from philosophy, linguistics and science to discuss the validity of these questions in the modern world. They contend that there is an aspect of the nature of human beings that is not reducible to the matter that makes up our bodies. This perspective is part of a family of views traditionally classified in philosophy as substance dualism, and has something serious in common with the ubiquitous human belief in the soul. The Soul Hypothesispresents views from a range of sciences and the resulting big picture shows, more clearly than could a single author with one area of expertise, that there is room for a soul hypothesis.Trade Review"Baker and Goetz have assembled an impressive interdisciplinary team of scholars to address questions about the existence and nature of the soul. The book is unique is combining philosophical and scientific arguments for dualism, and the result is a rigorous, exciting, persuasive presentation of the issues. The Soul Hypothesis is an excellent text that is sure to provoke a vigorous dialog about its content. I highly recommend it." - J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Biola University, USA"Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. "The Soul of the Matter" - Charles Taliaferro; 2. "Minds, Brains and Brains in Vats" - Daniel N. Robinson; 3. "Brains and Souls; Grammar and Speaking" - Mark Baker; 4. "Making Things Happen: Souls in Action" - Stewart Goetz; 5. "Energy of the Soul" - Robin Collins; 6. "The Measure of All Things: Quantum Mechanics and the Soul" - Dean Zimmerman; 7. "From Seeing to Seer" - Hans Halvorson; 8. "Souls Beastly and Human" - William Hasker; 9. "A Scientific Case for the Soul" - Robin Collins Afterword; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisAxel Gelfert is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, National University of Singapore.Trade ReviewGelfert’s book is the very first systematic survey of the expanding philosophical sub-discipline that he calls “the epistemology of testimony”. The work is engagingly written and a model of clarity. [...] His coverage of the field is remarkable, with the principal theoretical issues all addressed and a good survey of some of the main areas of practical application, notably assessment of legal testimony and adjudication between expert witnesses. [...] Gelfert’s hybrid theory has many virtues. It overcomes the weaknesses of the principal rival accounts: unlike anti-reductionist default acceptance theories, it avoids the charge of licensing gullibility, while approving the hearer’s trusting attitude under appropriate circumstances; and, unlike reductionist accounts and certain other hybrid accounts, it avoids the charge of placing impossible burdens on recipients of testimony, while insisting on due wariness under suspicious circumstances. It also does full justice to the roles of social settings and collaborative enterprises in the justification of testimony. A further and notable virtue of Gelfert’s inference to the best explanation based account is its flexibility, openness and suggestiveness of further lines of research. * Studies in History and Philosophy of Science *Gelfert’s book, the first systematic overview of the epistemology of testimony, does an excellent job of introducing beginners to this rapidly growing field ... The book is a model of clarity, deftly combining an evenhanded mapping of the known territory with forays into new regions, and will be invaluable to epistemologists in both their teaching and their research. * The Philosophical Quarterly *Gelfert has left no stone in the epistemology of testimony unturned, providing an impressively comprehensive treatment of the issues in this vast area, and doing so with clarity and fair-mindedness. This is a must-read for anyone interested in social epistemology. -- Jennifer Lackey, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Graduate Studies, Northwestern University, USAAxel Gelfert has written a lucid, comprehensive, fair and balanced introduction to the epistemology of testimony, clearly useful for students and scholars alike. If you're interested in learning about how we learn from others, this is the place to start. -- Peter Graham, Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Riverside, USATable of ContentsIntroduction 1. What is Testimony? 2. The Testimonial Conundrum 3. Testimony, Perception, Memory, and Inference 4. Testimony and Evidence 5. Reductionism and Anti-Reductionism 6. Hybrid Theories of Testimony 7. Testimonial Knowledge: Transmission and Generation 8. Trust and Assurance 9. Expert Testimony 10. Pathologies of Testimony 11. Testimony and the Value of Knowledge Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEPISTEMOLOGY This is a superb companion to Epistemology: An Anthology. It consists of sixty commentaries, one for each of the sixty entries in that anthology. Turri is an extremely lucid writer, with a wonderful knack for finding and laying out argumentative structure, and for explaining crucial concepts. His commentary will greatly aid student comprehension and enhance class discussion. Ernest Sosa, Rutgers University Turri's discussions are engaging and lucid. They are written for beginning students and will serve that purpose beautifully, but they are so well done that even veteran epistemologists will find them helpful. John Greco, Saint Louis University Epistemology: A Guide is a straightforward and accessible introduction to contemporary epistemology for those studying the topic for the first time. It introduces and explains the main arguments of the most influential publications in the field from the last 50 years. BalancingTrade Review“The author fosters an excellent bridge to the primary sources and presents the material in a way that scarcely could be made more palatable. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.” (Choice, 1 December 2014) Table of ContentsPreface xi Acknowledgments xiii 1 The best case for skepticism about the external world? (Stroud, “The Problem of the External World”) 1 2 Proving the external world exists (Or: Let’s all give Moore a hand!) (Moore, “Proof of an External World”) 6 3 Some ways of resisting skepticism (Moore, “Four Forms of Scepticism”) 10 4 Plausibility and possibilities (Moore, “Certainty”) 15 5 Skeptic on skeptic (Klein, “How a Pyrrhonian Skeptic Might Respond to Academic Skepticism”) 19 6 Realism in epistemology (Williams, “Epistemological Realism”) 24 7 Socratic questions and the foundation of empirical knowledge (Chisholm, “The Myth of the Given”) 31 8–9 The foundation of empirical knowledge? (Sellars, “Does Empirical Knowledge Have a Foundation?” and “Epistemic Principles”) 36 10 It’s not a given that empirical knowledge has a foundation (BonJour, “Can Empirical Knowledge Have a Foundation?”) 44 11 Interpretation, meaning and skepticism (Davidson, “A Coherence Theory of Truth and Knowledge”) 49 12 Blending foundationalism and coherentism (Haack, “A Foundherentist Theory of Epistemic Justification”) 54 13 Foundationalism, coherentism and supervenience (Sosa, “The Raft and the Pyramid”) 60 14 Infinitism (Klein, “Human Knowledge and the Infinite Regress of Reasons”) 67 15 The Gettier problem (Gettier, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”) 73 16 Some principles concerning knowledge and inference (Harman, Thought, Selections) 77 17 The essence of the Gettier problem (Zagzebski, “The Inescapability of Gettier Problems”) 83 18 Knowledge is an unanalyzable mental state (Williamson, “A State of Mind”) 85 19 Closure, contrast and semi-skepticism (Dretske, “Epistemic Operators”) 92 20 Closure, contrast and anti-skepticism (Stine, “Skepticism, Relevant Alternatives, and Deductive Closure”) 99 21 Keeping close track of knowledge (Nozick, “Knowledge and Skepticism”) 103 22 Moore wins (Sosa, “How to Defeat Opposition to Moore”) 111 23 The closure principle: dangers and defense (Vogel, “Are There Counter examples to the Closure Principle?”) 116 24 Evidentialist epistemology (Feldman and Conee, “Evidentialism”) 123 25 Non-defensive epistemology (Foley, “Skepticism and Rationality”) 129 26 Reliabilism about justification (Goldman, “What Is Justified Belief?”) 135 27 Reliabilism: a level assessment (Vogel, “Reliabilism Leveled”) 141 28 Against externalism (BonJour, “Externalist Theories of Empirical Knowledge”) 146 29 Against internalism (Goldman, “Internalism Exposed”) 151 30 A skeptical take on externalism (Fumerton, “Externalism and Skepticism”) 156 31 A friendly take on internalism (Feldman and Conee, “Internalism Defended”) 159 32 Warrant (Plantinga, “Warrant: A First Approximation”) 164 33 Intellectual virtues (Zagzebski, Virtues of the Mind) 169 34 Virtue epistemology (Greco, “Virtues and Vices of Virtue Epistemology”) 172 35 Knowledge, luck and virtue (Pritchard, “Cognitive Responsibility and the Epistemic Virtues”) 176 36 Epistemic value and cognitive achievement (Sosa, “The Place of Truth in Epistemology”) 181 37 Giving up on knowledge (Kvanvig, “Why Should Inquiring Minds Want to Know?”) 187 38 Giving up on (exact) truth (Elgin, “True Enough”) 192 39 Naturalized epistemology advertised (Quine, “Epistemology Naturalized”) 196 40 Naturalized epistemology criticized (Kim, “What is ‘Naturalized Epistemology’?”) 203 41 Naturalized epistemology radicalized (Antony, “Quine as Feminist”) 207 42 A apriori justification and unrevisability (Putnam, “There is at Least One A Priori Truth”) 211 43 A priori justification and revisability (Casullo, “Revisability, Reliabilism, and A Priori Knowledge”) 215 44 Philosophical method and empirical science (Bealer, “A Priori Knowledge and the Scope of Philosophy”) 219 45 Experimental epistemology (Weinberg, Nichols and Stich, “Normativity and Epistemic Intuitions”) 226 46 Natural kinds, intuitions and method in epistemology (Kornblith, “Investigating Knowledge Itself”) 230 47 Contextualism and skeptical puzzles (DeRose, “Solving the Skeptical Problem”) 235 48 Contextualism and infallibilist intuitions (Lewis, “Elusive Knowledge”) 240 49 Contextualism and intuitional instability (Cohen, “Contextualist Solutions to Epistemological Problems”) 244 50 Knowledge and action (Stanley, “Knowledge and Practical Interests, Selections”) 247 51 Rationality and action (Fantl and McGrath, “Evidence, Pragmatics, and Justification”) 252 52 One invariantist’s scorecard (Hawthorne, “Sensitive Moderate Invariantism”) 258 53 A relativist theory of knowledge attributions (MacFarlane, “The Assessment Sensitivity of Knowledge Attributions”) 264 54 Rationality and trust (Baker, “Trust and Rationality”) 270 55 Testimony and gullibility (Fricker, “Against Gullibility”) 273 56 Some reflections on how epistemic sources work (Burge, “Content Preservation”) 277 57 Testimony and knowledge (Lackey, “Testimonial Knowledge and Transmission”) 282 58 Memory and knowledge (Huemer, “The Problem of Memory Knowledge”) 286 59 Perception and knowledge (McDowell, “Criteria, Defeasibility, and Knowledge”) 291 60 Skills and knowledge (Reynolds, “Knowing How to Believe with Justification”) 295 Index 299

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Book SynopsisAndrea Borghini is Associate Professor in Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross, USA.Trade ReviewBorghini’s book is a stellar introduction ... It will be accessible to upper-level undergraduates, yet it is the most up-to-date guidebook around, making it worthwhile for specialists as well. * Australasian Journal of Philosophy *Borghini’s introductory textbook is a useful and thorough reading for anyone interested in the current analytic-philosophical theories of and approaches to modality ... [An] up-to-date and comprehensive survey. * Croatian Journal of Philosophy *The concept of possible world - arguably the single most useful notion of contemporary philosophy - triggers a number of epistemological, semantic, and above all metaphysical questions. This book introduces to, and discusses, all the main contemporary answers to such questions. It provides a clear survey of mainstream and widely discussed views such as ersatzism and Lewisian modal realism. But it also guides us through the most recent approaches, such as modal fictionalism, agnosticism, and new actualism. This makes of it the most up-to-date introduction to the philosophy and metaphysics of modality on the market. Highly recommended. -- Franz Berto, Structural Chair of Metaphysics, University of Amsterdam, the NetherlandsTable of ContentsIntroduction: Framing the Debate 1.The Metaphysics of Modality: a Historical Overview 2. Modal Skepticism and Modal Expressivism 3. Modalism 4.Modal Realism 5.Ersatzism 6.Modal Fictionalism and Modal Agnosticism 7.The New Modal Actualism 8. Abstract Necessities Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIan Mueller is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, USA.

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Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Textual Emendations TRANSLATION Notes Bibliography English-Greek Glossary Greek-English Index Index of Passages Cited Subject Index

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Book SynopsisBen Ware is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK.Trade ReviewGiven the fierce complexity of Wittgenstein’s thought, Ware is to be praised for the clear exposition of his philosophy and for the many helpful suggestions he proffers for how the philosopher’s ideas might be relevant to those studying modernism. * Key Words *Overall, Benjamin Ware's dialectical reading of the Tractacus is a very stimulating and successful attempt to interpret the literature. I hope to read more from him! * Wittgenstein-Studien (Bloomsbury translation) *[Ware] broadens the context of existing discussions of the early Wittgenstein's relation to modernist critiques of culture in a very helpful way ... Anyone interested in the text will benefit from engaging with this stimulating work. * British Wittgenstein Society *Ben Ware’s superb study does not only offer a lucid and original reading of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus; it also situate it with admirable skill in the context of literary modernism and in doing so casts radical new light on this notoriously difficult philosophical text. * Terry Eagleton *Ben Ware writes a refreshing, opinionated book about Tractatus, in which Ezra Pound, Ludwig Uhland, Oswald Spengler, Thomas Mann and Julien Benda get a non-obvious place in a reading of Wittgenstein. (Bloomsbury translation) * Tijdschrift voor Filosofie *Departing from Wittgenstein's claim that the Tractatus is 'strictly philosophical and at the same time literary' Ben Ware succeeds in showing not only how it works as a contribution to literary modernism but also how this is inseparable from its philosophical achievement. He restores the strangeness to a text that we thought had become familiar and places it in the company of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Hofmannsthal and Kafka. It is sure to send readers back to the Tractatus with renewed wonder and curiosity. * Howard Caygill, Professor Of Modern European Philosophy, Kingston University, UK *Ludwig Wittgenstein notoriously wrote to Bertrand Russell that nobody would ever understand his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus; for students of modernism and the avant-gardes this is no longer true, thanks to Ben Ware’s exciting new study. With a majestic authorial voice Ware leads his readers to appreciate Wittgenstein’s short text as a vital part of modern literary history. In a challenging reading of Kafka, Ware further shows how Wittgenstein’s book carries within itself a singular way of reading and experiencing literature, as well as oneself. There is little more one can expect from a scholar’s work. A formidable achievement. * Sascha Bru, Assistant Professor Modern Literature and Theory, University of Leuven, Belgium *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Abbreviations Preface 1 Modernity-Modernism-Avant-Garde 2 Ethics and the Literary in Wittgenstein’s Tractatus 3 Modernity, Culture and the Question of Politics 4 The Tractatus, Modernism and the Limits of Language 5 Towards a Literary Use of Wittgenstein: The Tractatus and Kafka’s ‘Der Bau’ Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisPredrag Cicovacki is Professor of Philosophy and the O'Leary Research Fellow at the College of the Holy Cross, MA, USA. He has published over seventy-five philosophy papers published in English, Serbian, German, Russian, Chinese, and Slovenian and is the author or editor of twelve books, including The Ethics of Nonviolence (2013) and The Restoration of Albert Schweitzer's Ethical Vision (2012).Trade ReviewThe Analysis of Wonder is both an engaging and enlightening presentation of the philosophy of Nicolai Hartmann, one of the major German philosophers of the first part of the 20th Century undeservedly little known in the English-speaking world. The book’s three parts clearly present Hartmann’s ontology, theory of values (both ethical and aesthetic ones) and personality, carefully drawing the major connections among them. After a long period of disarray, Hartmann rehabilitated both ontology –his ontology comprises one of the most composite and rich theories of categories ever developed – and developed one of the first systematic theories of values – both ethical and aesthetic – showing how the latter may include and are higher than the former. Cicovacki’s book offers a well-balanced, clear introduction to these and other issues and promises to become the reference book for anyone wishing to know Hartmann’s philosophy. -- Roberto Poli, Research Professor, University of Trento, Italy, and President of the Nicolai Hartmann SocietyThis introduction to the life work of Nicolai Hartmann is, to my knowledge, the only book in English to present the entire range of Hartmann’s thought. It does so in lucid prose and with sufficient detail so that the reader new to Hartmann can take the measure of his procedure and its outcomes. Hartmann has created a method of research, a work in progress, indeed an edifice of ideas, especially in ethics and aesthetics, that cries out for development. Dr. Cicovacki's book is an important symptom of a welcome resurgence of interest in Hartmann. It will be of great use to professional philosophers who are unfamiliar with him, and to students whom it should encourage to take up the study of this great and unique philosopher. -- Eugene Kelly, Professor of Philosophy, New York Institute of Technology, USAThis is a rewarding introduction to the thought of the last great metaphysician. Cicovacki shows how Hartmann avoids the temptation to over-systematize as he provides categories adequate for informed wonderment before the full splendor of reality. -- Nalin Ranasinghe, Professor of Philosophy, Assumption College, USAIn The Analysis of Wonder, Cicovacki provides a lively, comprehensive introduction to Hartmann’s philosophy in a small package, written in a style that is not overly encumbered by scholarly jargon and technical apparatus, and balances well issues of contemporary relevance with detailed scholarship. It is not only a survey of Hartmann’s major ideas, but makes a case for reading Hartmann in light of certain of these ideas—building up to the claim that 'personality' is a synthetic category and reality which brings together Hartmann’s ontological and axiological work. It is an important contribution to a growing English-language literature on this neglected major German philosopher. -- Keith R. Peterson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Colby College, USAA splendid introduction [to Nicolai Hartmann] for the English-speaking world. […] Cicovacki has presented us with an interesting and concise summary of Hartmann's thought in systematic presentation [… and] offers a handy and easy-to-read introduction to a difficult and original thinker. The prose is clear and lucid. For anyone wanting to rediscover a giant of the 20th century, this book is an excellent place to start. -- Sebastian Luft, Marquette University * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *On the whole, it is clear that Hartmann’s philosophy is dauntingly complex and idiosyncratic; nevertheless, Cicovacki elegantly captures this complexity in clear and engaging analysis. As a compelling introduction to Hartmann’s philosophy, accessible to general and specialized audiences, Cicovacki has succeeded. -- Eric Chelstrom, St. Mary’s University * The Review of Metaphysics *Table of ContentsChronological Table Introduction: Does Hartmann Matter? Part I: Being I.1 Philosophical Method I.2 Being as Being I.3 Modifications of Being I.4 Strata of Real Being I.5 Categories of Real Being I.6 Categories of Being and Categories of Cognition I.7. Ontology of Cognition I.8 Critique of Intellectualism Part II: Values II.1 Nature of Values II.2 Moral Values in General II.3 Four Fundamental Moral Values II.4 Four Forms of Love II.5 Aesthetic Object and Aesthetic Act II.6 Aesthetic Values II.7 Truth in Art II.8 Sublime II.9 Critique of Moralism Part III: Personality III.1 The Realm of Real Being and the Realm of Values III.2 Personality as a Value III.3 Pseudo, Spurious and Genuine Personality III.4 Fulfillment of Personality Conclusion: Hartmann’s New Ways of Philosophy Bibliography of Hartmann’s Works Index

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Book SynopsisFormal methods are changing how epistemology is being studied and understood. A Critical Introduction to Formal Epistemology introduces the types of formal theories being used and explains how they are shaping the subject. Beginning with the basics of probability and Bayesianism, it shows how representing degrees of belief using probabilities informs central debates in epistemology. As well as discussing induction, the paradox of confirmation and the main challenges to Bayesianism, this comprehensive overview covers objective chance, peer disagreement, the concept of full belief, and the traditional problems of justification and knowledge. Subjecting each position to a critical analysis, it explains the main issues in formal epistemology, and the motivations and drawbacks of each position. Written in an accessible language and supported study questions, guides to further reading and a glossary, positions are placed in an historic context to give a sense of the development of the field. As the first introductory textbook on formal epistemology, A Critical Introduction to Formal Epistemology is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of contemporary epistemology.Trade ReviewThe thirst for knowledge ... is competently soothed by Bloomsbury with the volume A Critical Introduction to Formal Epistemiology, which provides useful material against the celebration of ignorance. * Il Sole 24 Ore (Bloomsbury Translation) *In the last decade or so, formal epistemology has become a huge growth area in philosophy. Yet outsiders are often intimidated by it—to many, “formal” conveys “difficult” or “scary”. Darren Bradley’s user-friendly introduction should assure them that they have nothing to fear. But it is not just an introduction; it is a critical introduction. As such, there is also plenty here to fascinate insiders. This is an exciting and timely book. -- Alan Hájek, Professor of Philosophy, Australian National University, AustraliaTable of Contents1. Belief and Probability 2. Belief and Acceptance 3. Rationality Constraints I: Probabilism 4. Rationality Constraints II: Conditionalization 5. Rationality Constraints III: Subjective and Inductive Probability 6. The Problem of Induction 7. Grue: The New Problem of Induction 8. The Paradox of the Ravens 9. Chance and Credence 10. Reflection and Disagreement 11. Condirmation and the Old Evidence Problem 12. Justification and Probability 13. Knowledge and Probability Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Future of Social Epistemology: A Collective Vision sets an agenda for exploring the future of what we – human beings reimagining our selves and our society – want, need and ought to know. The book examines, concretely, practically and speculatively, key ideas such as the public conduct of philosophy, models for extending and distributing knowledge, the interplay among individuals and groups, risk taking and the welfare state, and envisioning people and societies remade through the breakneck pace of scientific and technological change. An international team of contributors offers a ‘collective vision’, one that speaks to what they see unfolding and how to plan and conduct the dialogue and work leading to a knowable and desirable world. The book describes and advances an intellectual agenda for the future of social epistemology.Trade ReviewThis collection of twenty-five original essays from an international group of scholars proposes various possible avenues of development for the emerging study of social epistemology. As much a shared agenda or vision statement as it is a series of discussions that take stock of where social epistemology is now, the essays cover topics such as how to extend and distribute knowledge, the public conduct of philosophy, and how the social study of knowledge may be affected by scientific and technological change. The contributions collectively provide a practical guide to the student of social epistemology…. * Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal *As a new interdisciplinary area of knowledge production and dissemination, Social Epistemology has found its own voice and international disciples. This volume brings together not only a variety of perspectives and practices, but also a self-reflexive moment that looks at the present condition of the field to envision its future. A must read for the novice and the curious. -- Raphael Sassower, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, University of ColoradoTaking stock and simultaneously exploring new perspectives, this is a bold and timely addition to the existing literature. New voices join established scholars in a collaborative effort to challenge disciplinary boundaries; the result is a vibrant and thought-provoking collection of papers – as much a contribution to the social study of knowledge as it is an experiment with doing social epistemology. -- Axel Gelfert, Associate Professor of Philosophy, National University of SingaporeTable of ContentsIntroduction, James H. Collier / Part I: Conducting Social Epistemology / 1. How Can We Collectivize a Set of Visions about Social Epistemology?, Fred D’Agostino / 2. A Comic Moment for Social Epistemology, Joan Leach / 3. Knowing Humanity in the Social World: A Social Epistemology Collective Vision?, Francis Remedios / 4. A Social Epistemology for Scientific Excellence, David Budtz Pedersen / 5. From Social Epistemology to Reflexive Sociology, Inanna Hamati-Ataya and Stephen Norrie / 6. The Politics of Social Epistemology, Susan Dieleman, María G. Navarro and Elisabeth Simbürger / Part II: Extending Conceptions of Knowing / 7. Metaphor and Social Epistemology, Martin Evenden / 8. Memetics vs. Human Extension: Round Two, Gregory Sandstrom / 9. A ‘Dialectical Moment’: Desire and the Commodity of Knowledge, Patrick J. Reider / 10. Navigating the Dialectics of Objectivity, Guy Axtell / 11. Epistemic Burdens and the Value of Ignorance, Phil Olson / 12. Freeing Knowledge: The Future of Critical Knowledge Production in the New Age of Corporate Universities and the Renegade Generation of Researchers, Adam Riggio / Part III: Regarding the Individual and the Collective / 13. Are You Thinking What We’re Thinking? Eric Kerr / 14. Disagreement and the Ethics of Belief, Jonathan Matheson / 15. Doxastic Involuntarism, Attentional Voluntarism, and Social Epistemology, Mark Douglas West / 16. Empirical Social Epistemology: Addressing the Normativity of Social Forces, Miika Vähämaa / 17. On Feminist Epistemology: The Fallibility of Gendered Science, Diana Rishani / 18. The Cost of Being Known: Economics, Science Communication and Epistemic Justice, Fabien Medvecky / 19. Social Epistemology, Dialectics and Horizontal Normativity: An Introduction to the Theory of Natural Authority, Pedro Saez Williams / Part IV: Envisioning our Human Future / 20. Visioneering Our Future, Laura Cabrera, William Davis and Melissa Orozco / 21. Dreaming the Future: What it Means to be Human, Emma Craddock / 22. Human Enhancement: Visual Representation and the Production of Knowledge, Victoria Peake / 23. Is Transhumanism Gendered? The Road from Haraway, Steve Fuller and Veronika Lipinska / 24. Beyond Black and Green: Children Visioneering the Future, Emilie Whitaker / 25. Prolegomena for a Theory of Justice for a Proactionary Age, Steve Fuller / Epilogue / Notes on Contributors / Index

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Book SynopsisFor thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith—and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, A Manual for Creating Atheists offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith—but for talking them out of it. Peter Boghossian draws on the tools he has developed and used for more than 20 years as a philosopher and educator to teach how to engage the faithful in conversations that will help them value reason and rationality, cast doubt on their religious beliefs, mistrust their faith, abandon superstition and irrationality, and ultimately embrace reason.Trade ReviewThere is nothing else on the market like this book that helps atheists talk believers out of their faith. Every atheist interested in doing so, or who talks to believers about faith at all, should read it. Its both needed and brilliant!--John W. Loftus, author of Why I Became an Atheist and The Outsider Test for FaithBoghossian has provided an indispensible chart book for all of us who must navigate the rising sea of magical thinking that is inundating America today.--Victor Stenger, Ph.D., author of God: The Failed Hypothesis and God and the AtomIf we want to live in world that is safer and more rational for all, then this is the guidebook we have been waiting for. Relying on extensive experience and a deep concern for humanity, Peter Boghossian has produced a game changer. This is not a book to read while relaxing in a hammock on a sunny afternoon. This is the how-to manual to take into the trenches of everyday life where minds are won and lost in the struggle between reason and madness.--Guy P. Harrison, author of 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian and Race and Reality"A book so great you can skip it and just read the footnotes. Pure genius." --Christopher Johnson, cofounder, the Onion"I wouldn't be surprised if ten years from now we realized that this book's publication was a turning point in the decline of Christianity in the West." --Tom Gilson, author, Thinking Christian

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates the impact of misinformation and the role of truth in political struggle. It develops a theory of objective truth for political controversy over topics such as racism and gender, based on the insights of intersectionality, the Black feminist theory of interlocking systems of oppression. Truth is defined using the tools of model theory and formal semantics, but the theory also captures how social power dynamics strongly influence the operation of the concept of truth within the social fabric. Systemic ignorance, propagated through false speech and misinformation, sustains oppressive power structures and perpetuates systemic inequity. Truth tends to empower marginalized groups precisely because oppressive systems are maintained through systemic ignorance. If the truth sets people free, then power will work to obscure it. Hence, the rise of misinformation as a political weapon is a strategy of dominant power to undermine the political advancement of marginalized groups.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: Truth in Political StruggleChapter 2: Politically Contested TerminologyChapter 3: On the Possibility of Semantic CorruptionChapter 4: Toward a Conception of Misinformation as Epistemic ViolenceChapter 5: Model-Theoretic Semantics for Politically Contested TerminologyChapter 6: Toward an Intersectional MetasemanticsChapter 7: Power and Regimes of TruthChapter 8: An Analytic Philosopher’s Unified Theory of IntersectionalityChapter 9: Intersectional Metasemantic AdequacyChapter 10: A Metasemantics for IntersectionalityChapter 11: Situated Knowledge and the Regime of Truth

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Book SynopsisIntroduction: A New Way to Look at Reading.- Paradigms for Explaining the Experience of Reading.- Perceiving the Text.- The Text as Temporally Dispersed.- Reflecting on Connections Across Time.- Characters: The Text's Representation of Experience.- Perceiving and Naming as Situated Acts.- The Mutuality of Text Meanings Through Synthesis.- Experiencing Meanings-Designate.- The Synthesis of Sequence.- The Text World: Dense and One.- Reader Habits of Synthesizing a World.- Associating New World Components.- Associating Textual Features.- The Synthesis of Texts as a Synthesis of Life.- The Temporal Plot of Understanding the Text.

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Book SynopsisChapter 1. Internal Realism and the Computational Model of the Mind. A Realist Interpretation of Ontological Relativity.- Chapter 2. Toys As Tools For Good Science.- Chapter 3. The use of Fuzzy Mathematics for socio-environmental evaluation in Social Economy.- Chapter 4. From restless COG to the yawning robot: humanoid robotics as a model-based science.- Chapter 5. Ethics as Generative Modelling.- Chapter 6. Models as Moral Mediators. Cognitive Niches, Artefacts, and the Two-Faced Nature of Internet and Artificial Intelligence Mediators in the Intertwining of Morality and Violence.- Chapter 7. Counterfactuals, Models, and Scientific Realism.- Chapter 8. Computational Natural Philosophy: A Thread from Presocratics through Turing to ChatGPT.- Etc...

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Book Synopsis01 Introduction. Conversation: Epistemological investigations.- 02 Conversation and joint agency: Why addressees are epistemically special.- 03 On the contours of a conversation.- 04 Virtuous arguing.- 05 Wit, pomposity, curiosity, and justice: some virtues and vices of conversationalists.- 06 Conversation and joint commitment.- 07 Group belief and the role of conversation.- 08 Knowledge norms and conversational.- 09 Norms of Inquiring Conversations.- 10 Deception detection research: Some lessons for the epistemology of testimony.- 11 Twisted ways to speak our minds, or ways to speak our twisted minds?.- 12 Aesthetic disagreement, aesthetic testimony, and defeat.- 13 Critical social epistemology and the liberating power of dialogue.

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Book SynopsisPersons.- First Person Authority.- Authoritative Playful Minds.- Concluding Remarks.

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Book SynopsisChapter 1. General Introduction.- Chapter 2. Self-Knowledge and the Limits of the First-Person and the Third-Person Perspectives.- Chapter 3. The Ancient Sceptic Attitude and Disagreement.- Chapter 4. Socratic Ignorance, Intellectual Humility and Intellectual Autonomy.- Chapter 5.Authority and Plato’s Epistocracy.- Chapter 6. Democracy and Citizenry Competence.- Bibliography.- Index.

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Book SynopsisIntroduction.- Part I: Epistemic Vulnerability and Its Consequences.- 2 Epistemic Vulnerability: Between Fallibilism and Epistemic Success.- 3 The “New” Plato (I): The Second Voyage of Philosophy on Truth and the Strongest Discourses.- 4 The “New” Plato (II): A Pragmatist Conception of the Role of Our Strongest Discourses.- 5 Epistemic Verisimilitude: Structural Elements.- 6 Epistemic Verisimilitude, Justification, and Truth.- Part II: Increasing Degrees of Epistemic Verisimilitude .- 7 Epistemic Verisimilitude and Asymmetric Fallibilism.- 8 The Sources of the Increasing Epistemic Verisimilitude of our Theories.- 9 Increasing Epistemic Verisimilitude and the Relay Race Problem.- 10 A Historically Accurate Epistemic Grinder Machine.- 11 The Flaws of Realism and Antirealism .- 12 A Critique of Chakravartty’s Requirements for Semirealism.- Epilogue.- Index.

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