Epistemic Responsibility for Undesirable Beliefs

Heikes, Deborah K.

This book considers whether we can be epistemically responsible for undesirable beliefs, such as racist and sexist ones. The problem with holding people responsible for their undesirable beliefs is: first, what constitutes an “undesirable belief” will differ among various epistemic communities; second, it is not clear what responsibility we have for beliefs simpliciter; and third, inherent in discussions of socially constructed ignorance (like white ignorance) is the idea that society is structured in such a way that white people are made deliberately unaware of their ignorance, which suggests their racial beliefs are not epistemically blameworthy.   

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2024-09-23

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9783031418600

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-41858-7

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 233