The Epistemic Dimensions of Ignorance

Rik Peels, Martijn Blaauw

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781316814659
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Epistemology in Philosophy

Ignorance is a neglected issue in philosophy. This is surprising for, contrary to what one might expect, it is not clear what ignorance is. Some philosophers say or assume that it is a lack of knowledge, whereas others claim or presuppose that it is an absence of true belief. What is one ignorant of when one is ignorant? What kinds of ignorance are there? This neglect is also remarkable because ignorance plays a crucial role in all sorts of controversial societal issues. Ignorance is often thought to be a moral and legal excuse; it is a core concept in medical ethics and debates about privacy, and it features in religious traditions and debates about belief in God. This book does not only study an epistemic phenomenon that is interesting in itself, but also provides important tools that can be fruitfully used in debates within and beyond philosophy.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Epigraph
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 The Nature of Ignorance: Two Views
• 2 The Varieties of Ignorance
• 3 Ignorance and Incompetence: Linguistic Considerations
• 4 Explicating Ignorance and Doubt: A Possible Worlds Approach
• 5 Ignorance and Epistemic Contextualism
• 6 Anti-Intellectualism and Ignorance
• 7 Ignorance and Epistemic Value
• 8 Ignorance and the Religious Life
• 9 Epistemic Injustice and the Preservation of Ignorance
• 10 Ignorance and Racial Insensitivity
• References
• Index