90066 - Epistemology (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course you will have a clear understanding of the main problems of contemporary epistemology and a detailed knowledge of some of the views that shape current debates on the structure of epistemic justification, the sceptical paradoxes and the interplay between evidential and pragmatic factors in ascriptions of knowledge. Besides, you will have built up an ability to reconstruct and critically evaluate the arguments offered in support of competing epistemological views.

Course contents

You will be introduced to some of the main debates of contemporary epistemology. The focus will be on the way in which a variety of contextual and pragmatic factors appear to affect knowledge attributions and knowledge possession (5 hours), as well as on the theories that have been proposed to account for this appearance: epistemic contextualism (5 hours), epistemic relativism (5 hours), interest-relative invariantism (5 hours), strict purist invariantism (5 hours) and epistemic contrastivism (5 hours).

Readings/Bibliography

Excerpts from:

S. Cohen, 'Knowledge and Context', The Journal of Philosophy, 83, 1986: 574-583.

K. DeRose, 'Contextualism and Knowledge Attributions', Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 52, 1992: 913-929.

F. Dretske, 'Epistemic Operators', Journal of Philosophy, 67, 1970: 1007-1023.

J. Fantl & M. McGrath, 'On Pragmatic Encroachment in Epistemology', Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 75, 2007: 558-589.

M. Gerken, On Folk Epistemology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.

D. Lewis, 'Elusive Knowledge', Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 74, 1996: 549-567.

J. MacFarlane, 'The Assessment Sensitivity of Knowledge Attributions', Oxford Studies in Epistemology, 1, 2005: 197-233.

J. Schaffer, 'From Contextualism to Contrastivism', Philosophical Studies, 119, 2004: 73-103.

W. Sinnott-Armstrong, 'A Contrastivist Manifesto', Social Epistemology, 22, 2008: 257-270.

C. Wright, 'A Plague on All Your Houses: Some Reflections on the Variable Behaviour of "Knows"', in A. Coliva, P. Leonardi, e S. Moruzzi (eds.), Eva Picardi on Language, Analysis and History, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Students not attending lectures:

K. DeRose, 'Solving the Skeptical Problem', Philosophical Review, 104, 1995: 1-52, is compulsory reading for strudents not attending lectures.

 

Teaching methods

Three two hours lectures per week in the fourth term. The course is divided in six teaching units, one for each topic listed in the Course contents section. Students will be encouraged to contribute to whole class discussions.

Attendance to lectures is warmly recommended as the most effective way to become familiar with the background and tools that are necessary to understand the texts.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. The viva will assess whether you have achieved the learning outcomes of the course. You will need to show that you are familiar with the main views of human knowledge that have emerged during the history of Western philosophy, especially in the twentieth century, as well as that you have acquired the terminological and conceptual competence required to understand contemporary debates on the problem of scepticism and the nature of knowledge, especially the notions of truth, belief and epistemic justification.

Grade assessment criteria

Grade range below 18 – Fail. Poor knowledge of core material, a significant inability to engage with the discipline. Very poor presentation.

Grade range 18-21 – Pass. Limited and superficial knowledge of the subject, a significant inability to follow the thread of the discussion. Presentation with many inadequacies.

Grade range 21-23 – Adequate. The knowledge is superficial, but the thread of the discussion has been consistently grasped. Presentation with some inadequacies.

Grade range 24-26 – Acceptable. Elementary knowledge of the key principles and concepts. The presentation is occasionally weak.

Grade range 27-29 – Good. Comprehensive knowledge. Good presentation.

30 – Very Good. Detailed knowledge with hints of critical thinking. Very good presentation.

30 cum laude – Outstanding. Excellent knowledge and depth of understanding. Excellent presentation.

During the viva you will not be allowed to use any written material, either on paper or in electronic format.

Teaching tools

The teacher will occasionally distribute handouts and project slides. The material will then be made available through Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Giorgio Volpe