PART 1: Traditional Epistemology: What can I know? (Dr Jenny Duke-Yonge)

In the first part of the unit, we will explore some traditional approaches to knowledge and belief. What is knowledge? Can we, as individuals, really have knowledge about the world? And if so, how do we get it?

Week 1

(week beginning 26/7)

Introduction to Epistemology; The problem of scepticism

We will begin with the traditional analysis of Knowledge as Justified True Belief, and consider the challenge of the sceptic, who questions whether such knowledge is possible.

No tutorials or assessed discussion this week

Week 2

(w/b 2/8)

Foundations for Knowledge: Rationalism and Empiricism

This week we will look at some traditional answers to the question of how we come to know about the world, and what justifies our claims to know. Does our knowledge come through Reason? Sense experience?

Reflective Task Part 1 (introductory quiz) due Sunday 8/8.

Week 3

(w/b 9/8)

Justification: Internalism and Externalism

We’ll begin this week to a challenge to the traditional analysis of knowledge, and the conception of justification that underlies it. How should we understand ‘justification’?

Week 4

(w/b 16/8)

Epistemic Fallibility, Luck and Responsibility

The preceding weeks may have given us reason to think that our knowledge is not as secure as we might have supposed. Is it just a matter of luck whether we know anything at all? This week we’ll consider how we should respond to our own epistemic fallibility.

PART 2: Social Epistemology (A/Prof Mark Alfano)

In the second part of the unit, we will explore Social Epistemology, which is based on the idea that to understand knowledge we need to go beyond the individual and consider the social role of the concept of knowledge and our epistemic practices, and how our knowledge is a function of our relations with others.

Week 5

(w/b 23/8)

Social Epistemology

This week introduces social epistemology and Craig's state of nature approach to the analysis of knowledge

Week 6

(w/b 30/8)

Social networks

This week continues Craig's state of nature approach, introduces network models that partially operationalize it, and explores some of the ways in which misinformation spreads.

Week 7

(w/b 6/9)

Misinformation

This week continues the exploration of ways in which misinformation spreads in social networks

 Reflective Task Part 2 due Sunday 12/9

                                                                 Mid-semester break

Week 8

(w/b 27/9)

Social Epistemology and Virtue Epistemology

This week explores the relationship between social epistemology and virtue epistemology

PART 3: Epistemic Pathologies (Dr Jenny Duke-Yonge)

In the final section, we will explore how social and political inequalities and power relations are connected with distinctively epistemic forms of injustice. We will begin by exploring the concept of Epistemic Injustice, and then consider examples and case studies including speech and silencing, propaganda and gaslighting, and conspiracy theories. 

Week 9

(w/b 4/10)

Epistemic Injustice

This week we will introduce the concept of Epistemic Injustice: a distinctive form of injustice that may undermine a person’s ability to engage in society as an epistemic agent.  

Week 10

(w/b 11/10)

Language and Power

This week, we’ll consider how both the use of language and the suppression of language may lead to injustice. 

Week 11

(w/b 18/10)

Abuses of trust: Propaganda and gaslighting

This week, we will look at the epistemology of trust, and ways in which which trust can be abused in political and personal contexts, focussing on propaganda and gaslighting as examples.

Week 12

(w/b 25/10)

Conspiracy theories

In the final week we will focus on the epistemology of conspiracy theories. What is the attraction of conspiracy theories? Why can they be so intractable? And how should we respond?

No tutorials or assessed discussion this week

Week 13

(w/b 1/11)

No lectures: essay writing week

No tutorials or assessed discussion this week

Essay due Sunday 7/11