KEVIN DORST
  • Bio
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Public Philosophy
  • Stranger Apologies

Introduction to Epistemology (Undergrad)

Syllabus
​Readings (.zip file)
Handouts:
I. The Problem of Disagreement
  • Introduction (Deane and Gramlich 2020)
  • Can we agree to disagree? (Feldman 2006)
II. Reasonable Disagreement?
  • Polarization arises from selective trust (O'Connor and Weatherall 2018, Chapter 3)
  • Polarization arises from selective memory (Singer et al. 2019)
  • Listening to fake news is rational (Rini 2020)
  • How reasonable people can go off the rails (Nguyen 2020)
  • Confirmation bias can be rational. (Kelly 2008)
  • No, it can't. (McWilliams 2019)
III. Reacting to Disagreement
  • It's rational to stand your ground (Kelly 2005)
  • It's rational to conciliate (Elga 2007)
  • Disagreement destroys knowledge (McGrath 2008)
  • Whether you should stand your ground doesn't depend on your confidence (Vavova 2014)
  • Disagreement review
IV. Irrelevant Influences
  • How white ignorance perpetuates itself (Mills 2007)
  • Is prejudice irrational? (Begby 2018 and Siegel 2018)
  • Testimonial injustice (Fricker 2007, Ch. 1)
  • You just believe that because... (Schoenfield 2020)
  • When are irrelevant influences relevant? (Vavova 2018)
  • Does evolution debunk our moral beliefs? (Street 2015)
  • Irrelevant influences review
V. Skepticism
  • Can we know anything? (Descartes 1641)
  • Yes, because closure fails. (Gettier 1963; Nozick 1981)
  • Yes, because 'knowledge' is context-sensitive. (Stine 1976)
  • Agreed, and elaborated. (Lewis 1996)
  • Yes, because we can't always know what our evidence is (Williamson 2000)
  • Yes, because we can prove it (Moore 1939)
  • Skepticism review


  • Bio
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Public Philosophy
  • Stranger Apologies