1st Edition
The Routledge Handbook of Applied Epistemology
While applied epistemology has been neglected for much of the twentieth century, it has seen emerging interest in recent years, with key thinkers in the field helping to put it on the philosophical map. Although it is an old tradition, current technological and social developments have dramatically changed both the questions it faces and the methodology required to answer those questions. Recent developments also make it a particularly important and exciting area for research and teaching in the twenty-first century. The Routledge Handbook of Applied Epistemology is an outstanding reference source to this exciting subject and the first collection of its kind. Comprising entries by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into six main parts:
- The Internet
- Politics
- Science
- Epistemic institutions
- Individual investigators
- Theory and practice in philosophy.
Within these sections, the core topics and debates are presented, analyzed, and set into broader historical and disciplinary contexts. The central topics covered include: the prehistory of applied epistemology, expertise and scientific authority, epistemic aspects of political and social philosophy, epistemology and the law, and epistemology and medicine.
Essential reading for students and researchers in epistemology, political philosophy, and applied ethics the Handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as law, sociology, and politics.
Notes on contributors. PART I Introduction 1. The return of applied epistemology, James Chase and David Coady. PART II The internet. 2. The World Wide Web, Paul Smart and Nigel Shadbolt. 3. Wikipedia, Karen Frost-Arnold. 4. Googling, Hanna Kiri Gunn and Michael P. Lynch. 5. Adversarial epistemology on the internet, Don Fallis. PART III Politics. 6. John Stuart Mill on free speech, Daniel Halliday and Helen McCabe. 7. Epistemic democracy, Jason Brennan. 8. Epistemic injustice and feminist epistemology, Andrea Pitts. 9. Propaganda and ideology, Randal Marlin. PART IV Science. 10. Expertise in climate science, Stephen John. 11. Evidence-based medicine, Robyn Bluhm and Kirstin Borgerson. 12. The precautionary principle in medical research and policy: the case of sponsorship bias, Daniel Steel. 13 Psychology and conspiracy theories, David Coady. PART V Epistemic institutions. 14 Legal burdens of proof and statistical evidence, Georgi Gardiner. 15. Banking and finance: disentangling the epistemic failings of the 2008 financial crisis, Lisa Warenski. 16. Applied epistemology of education, Ben Kotzee. PART VI Individual investigators. 17. Disagreement, Tim Kenyon. 18. Forecasting, Steve Fuller. 19. Rumor, Axel Gelfert. 20. Gossip, Tommaso Bertolotti and Lorenzo Magnani. 21. The applied epistemology of conspiracy theories: an overview, M R.X Dentith and Brian L. Keeley. PART VII Theory and practice in philosophy. 22. Philosophical expertise, Bryan Frances, 23. Ethical expertise, Christopher Cowley. 24. The demise of grand narratives? Postmodernism, power-knowledge, and applied epistemology, Matthew Sharpe. Index.
Biography
David Coady is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He is the author of What to Believe Now: Applying Epistemology to Contemporary Issues (2012), the co-author of The Climate Change Debate: An Epistemic and Ethical Enquiry (2013), the editor of Conspiracy Theories: The Philosophical Debate (2006) and the co-editor of A Companion to Applied Philosophy (2016).
James Chase is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He works on epistemology; philosophical logic, particularly as applied to epistemological issues; and the methodology of analytic philosophy. He is the co-author of Analytic vs Continental (2011) and the co-editor of Postanalytic and Metacontinental (2010).
"With rich philosophical discussions on such diverse topics as Wikipedia, Google, conspiracy theories, climate science, medical research, gossip, and global finance, this pioneering collection shows just how important the study of knowledge is today in our complex, hyper-connected, and relentlessly advancing world."
Kimberley Brownlee, University of Warwick, UK
"The Routledge Handbook of Applied Epistemology offers a brilliant overview of the discipline and some excellent and timely case studies within the field, e.g., the epistemology of the internet, conspiracy theories, and the nature of expertise in climate science. I recommend it strongly to anyone interested in how epistemology can deepen our understanding of contemporary societal phenomena and challenges."
Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen, University of Aarhus, Denmark
