Epistemic authority, preemptive reasons, and understanding. Zagzebskis widely discussed work on epistemic authority zagzebski 2012. Presenting the background, development, and current state of affairs in epistemology, this titlea volume in the wadsworth philosophy topics seriesprovides a concise introduction to this pertinent topic of contemporary philosophical interest. Introduction a recent book by linda zagzebski, epistemic authority. On epistemology wadsworth philosophical topics linda. Knowledge and the motive for truth linda zagzebski 1. It will generously reward a careful and thorough read. In this book linda trinkaus zagzebski gives an extended argument that the selfreflective person is committed to belief on authority. It says that, when an agent realizes that an epistemic authority believes that p, the epistemically rational response for her is to adopt the authoritys belief and to replace all of her previous reasons. The level of scholarly engagement within and around epistemology and theology has grown sufficiently to permit and justify a volume on the epistemology of theology. According to the suggested account, to trust a speaker is to grant her epistemic authority on the asserted proposition, and hence to see her opinion as issuing a second order, preemptive reason for believing the proposition. Zagzebski sees no reason to deny that there are epistemic exemplars in the moral domain, considering the rejection of moral truth and egalitarianism as possible reasons for rejecting moral authority.
Contemporary defenders of autonomy and traditional defenders of authority generally assume that they have so little in common as to make it hopeless to attempt a dialogue on the defensibility of epistemic, moral, or religious authority. Epistemic definition of epistemic by merriamwebster. In on epistemology linda zagzebski situates epistemological questions within the broader framework of what we care about and why we care about it. Why are so many epistemologists worried about luck. In the first step of this project, she follows richard foley and william alston in arguing that there is no noncircular way to. America is experiencing an epistemic crisis, and with that has come a crisis of authority in journalism.
Review of linda zagzebski s epistemic authority american catholic philosophical quarterly 2014. The motive for truth in our epistemic lives i assume that a selfconscious being is both conscious of the world and conscious of. Epistemic authority is rich, wideranging, and provocative. Epistemic authority linda zagzebski epistemology and philosophy of science 53 3. Epistemology and information fred dretske epistemology is the study of knowledgeits nature, sources, limits, and forms. The value of epistemic trust has been neglected, as townsley rightly observes, but i think a virtue epistemology of the kind.
Pdf one of the key tenets of linda zagzebskis book epistemic authority. For an ingenious argument that what counts as epistemic luck cannot be fixed independently of how the epistemic agent conceives of her reasons for belief, see lando 2016. However, my selfinterest is tempered by a sense of epistemic value, namely the. Epistemic authority paperback linda trinkaus zagzebski. Epistemic authority, preemptive reasons, and understanding christoph jager dept. She is a george lynn cross research professor, and kingfisher college chair of the philosophy of religion and ethics at the university of oklahoma.
Epistemic injustice anthologies, symposia, and overview. Linda trinkaus zagzebski born 1946 is an american philosopher. Hence, while frickers focus on individual epistemic virtue is important, we also need to consider what epistemic justice as a virtue of social systems would require. Epistemic authority paperback linda trinkaus zagzebski oxford university press in this book linda trinkaus zagzebski gives an extended argument that the selfreflective person is committed to belief on authority. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief 2012 is the. I have never seen a work by four philosophers working together, and i appreciate the collaboration it must have taken. Epistemic norms new essays on action, belief, and assertion edited by clayton littlejohn and john turri. Epistemic authority hardcover linda trinkaus zagzebski. This is not a commonly accepted position in current epistemology, so zagzebski begins by attempting to ground the acceptance of epistemic authority in epistemic autonomy and an individuals selftrust. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief. She argues that epistemic and emotional selftrust are rational and inescapable, that consistent selftrust commits us to trust in others, and that among those we are committed to. Charging others with epistemic vice the monist oxford.
Linda zagzebskis totalpreemption view says that these reasons are. Authority, and autonomy in belief by linda trinkaus zagzebski. The current trend in so much that passes for medical ethics is to claim that autonomy trumps everything else. Your account could not be created, please check and try again. A central goal of linda zagzebskis rich defense of the very idea of epistemic authority is to argue that epistemic egoism of either form is an. Fresh perspectives on new issues, longstanding debates, and the connections between t hem.
Epistemology notes stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Chrisman, m 2007 from epistemic contextualism to epistemic expressivism philosophical studies vol. Xenophanes i think he says the epistemic authority is 1 god and the epistemic problem is bridging the gap between human opinion and divine knowledge. This book gives an extended argument for epistemic authority from the implications of reflective selfconsciousness. Jensen alex, valerie joly chock, kyle mallard, and jonathan matheson, university of north florida, jonathan. Week 6 epistemic agency and normativity dr matthew chrisman this week focuses on the agency involved in believing. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief 2012 is the preemption thesis for epistemic authority. It serves many purposescalling out failures of epistemic responsibility, challenging claims to epistemic authority, educating peers. The cassandra of greek legend illustrates the complex relationships among epistemic and nonepistemic goods, as welt as the fragility of knowledge. Epistemic definition is of or relating to knowledge or knowing. A recent book by linda zagzebski, epistemic authority.
A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief 9780190278267. An international journal for theory, history and foundations of science 2008 vol. In that sense, authority can be called epistemic capital. It aims to defend the existence of epistemic authority on grounds that almost all modern philosophers would accept.
My aim is to show that this practice can, if done well, contribute to the ameliorative task of. In this book zagzebski gives an extended argument that the selfreflective person is committed to belief on authority. Epistemology especially in its second edition is simply the best textbook in epistemology that i know of. Thomas vinci, dalhousie university, canada praise for the first edition. Authority, and autonomy in belief 2012, offers an innovative account of authority in.
I think her case leads us to a more radical conclusion. She argues that epistemic and emotional selftrust are rational and inescapable, that consistent selftrust commits us to trust in others, and that among those we are. One of the key tenets of linda zagzebskis book epistemic authority. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief by linda trinkaus zagzebski guy longworth university of warwick 1. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief, oxford university press, 2012. According to a recent account of epistemic authority proposed by linda zagzebski 2012, it is rational for laypersons to believe on authority when they conscientiously judge that the authority is more likely to form true beliefs and avoid false ones than they are in some domain.
Epistemic authority and autonomy of the epistemic subject. What is the epistemic authorityepistemic problem according to these philosophers. Epistemology is the study of the nature of knowledge, justification, and the rationality of belief. The book argues that epistemic and emotional selftrust are rational and inescapable, that consistent selftrust commits us to trust in others, and that among those we are committed to. It has been commonplace in epistemology to give careful attention not just to epistemology as a general enterprise but also to explore in detail the epistemology of particular academic disciplines. I strongly recommend it, especially to anyone who is interested in epistemic autonomy, epistemic authority, and the rational defensibility of faith and of believing on the authority of ones epistemic community. Project muse epistemic authority, testimony and the. Epistemic authority a theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief linda trinkaus zagzebski. Discusses epistemic authority in communities as well as between individuals. A defense of a divine attribute aquinas lecture, by linda zagzebski pdf. Zagzebski begins with the idea that a rational person must, on reflection. My paper will indicate some directions forward on this front, focusing on the need for integration of diverse institutions and persons engaged in inquiry. A theory of trust, autonomy, and authority in belief, by linda trinkaus zagzebski. The search for the source of epistemic good zagzebski.
She writes in the areas of epistemology, philosophy of religion, and virtue theory. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief reprint edition. Knowledge has almost always been treated as good, better than mere true belief, but it is remarkably difficult to explain what it is about knowledge that makes it better. Epistemic authority is compatible with autonomy, but epistemic selfreliance is incoherent. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Heraclitus im not sure what he says the epistemic authority is. For example, ernest sosa has argued that justified belief is belief that is grounded in epistemic virtue. In chapter 8, zagzebski examines moral epistemic authority and its limitations. An individual user may print out a pdf of a single chapter of a monograph in oso for personal use. For a booklength discussion of epistemic luck and the conceptual tools employed to capture the way knowledge and epistemic luck are incompatible, see pritchard 2005.
In 2012 she held a guggenheim fellowship to complete her book, epistemic authority. No less than one would expect from a firstrate epistemologist who is also a master expositor. I propose that we call this practice epistemic vicecharging and offer a schematic analysis of its structure. Since perception is an important source of knowledge, memory a common way of storing and retrieving knowledge, and reasoning and inference effective methods for extending. Pdf on nov 7, 2012, linda trinkaus zagzebski and others published the rejection of epistemic authority find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. What about other epistemic values like understanding and certainty. Epistemic justice as a virtue of social institutions. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief 2012, offers an innovative account of authority in the epistemic realm.
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