
doi: 10.1111/meta.12389
handle: 1893/30215
Abstract“Relativism” is often treated as a dirty word in philosophy, but relativistic theories are not entirely unappealing—they have features that might be tempting if they weren't thought to be outweighed by problematic consequences. The aim of this paper is to rethink both our attitude to epistemic relativism and the basic features of the view itself. The paper discusses four objections and uses them to isolate five constraints on a more plausible epistemic relativism. It then sketches out a view that meets all of these constraints. This stratified epistemic relativism offers a complex, socially informed picture of justification that accounts for the many different kinds of roles that epistemic agents act, and think, in accordance with each day, and can serve as a starting point for constructing a more detailed epistemic relativism, which could secure its appealing benefits without incurring the costs traditionally associated with relativist views.
603124 Theory of science, equal validity, hinge epistemology, epistemic justification, epistemic relativism, 603102 Epistemology, social roles, 603124 Wissenschaftstheorie, 100, 603102 Erkenntnistheorie
603124 Theory of science, equal validity, hinge epistemology, epistemic justification, epistemic relativism, 603102 Epistemology, social roles, 603124 Wissenschaftstheorie, 100, 603102 Erkenntnistheorie
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