Zusatztext Ballantyne's original and provocative book combines two projects: defending a 'regulative' or inquiry-guiding approach to epistemology, and carrying out that approach in a way that makes concrete progress. It is intellectually independent, patient with detail, and full of carefully chosen, telling examples. It is also engagingly written. Andârefreshinglyâit exemplifies the epistemic humility for which it advocates so persuasively. Informationen zum Autor Nathan Ballantyne received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Arizona and his B.A. (Hon) in Philosophy from Victoria College in the University of Toronto. He has published widely on contemporary epistemology in journals such as Mind, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and Philosophical Quarterly. He is Executive Editor of the Canadian Journal of Philosophy and is co-editor with David Dunning ofReason, Bias, and Inquiry: New Perspectives from the Crossroads of Epistemology and Psychology (Oxford University Press, forthcoming). Klappentext In our age of partisan confidence and polarized punditry, Knowing Our Limits examines an urgent question: how much do we know about controversial issues over which intelligent people think differently? The book provides the tools we need to think circumspectly about our controversial opinions. The author updates a classical tradition of reasonable doubt and skepticism that includes Socrates, Montaigne, and Bertrand Russell, blending philosophical analysiswith current ideas from the social and cognitive sciences. Zusammenfassung Changing our minds isn't easy. Even when we recognize our views are disputed by intelligent and informed people, we rarely doubt our rightness. Why is this so? How can we become more open-minded, putting ourselves in a better position to tolerate conflict, advance collective inquiry, and learn from differing perspectives in a complex world?Nathan Ballantyne defends the indispensable role of epistemology in tackling these issues. For early modern philosophers, the point of reflecting on inquiry was to understand how our beliefs are often distorted by prejudice and self-interest, and to improve the foundations of human knowledge. Ballantyne seeks to recover and modernize this classical tradition by vigorously defending an interdisciplinary approach to epistemology, blending philosophical theorizing with insights from the social andcognitive sciences.Many of us need tools to help us think more circumspectly about our controversial views. Ballantyne develops a method for distinguishing between our reasonable and unreasonable opinions, in light of evidence about bias, information overload, and rival experts. This method guides us to greater intellectual opennessâin the spirit of skeptics from Socrates to Montaigne to Bertrand Russellâmaking us more inclined to admit that sometimes we don't have the right answers. With vibrant prose andfascinating examples from science and history, Ballantyne shows how epistemology can help us know our limits. ...

...well-timed, rigorous yet accessible, engaging, and, ultimately, excellent.

Autorentext

Nathan Ballantyne received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Arizona and his B.A. (Hon) in Philosophy from Victoria College in the University of Toronto. He has published widely on contemporary epistemology in journals such as Mind, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and Philosophical Quarterly. He is Executive Editor of the Canadian Journal of Philosophy and is co-editor with David Dunning of Reason, Bias, and Inquiry: New Perspectives from the Crossroads of Epistemology and Psychology (Oxford University Press, forthcoming).

Klappentext

Changing our minds isn't easy. Even when we recognize our views are disputed by intelligent and informed people, we rarely doubt our rightness. Why is this so? How can we become more open-minded, putting ourselves in a better position to tolerate conflict, advance collective inquiry, and learn from differing perspectives in a complex world?

Nathan Ballantyne defends the indispensable role of epistemology in tackling these issues. For early modern philosophers, the point of reflecting on inquiry was to understand how our beliefs are often distorted by prejudice and self-interest, and to improve the foundations of human knowledge. Ballantyne seeks to recover and modernize this classical tradition by vigorously defending an interdisciplinary approach to epistemology, blending philosophical theorizing with insights from the social and cognitive sciences.

Many of us need tools to help us think more circumspectly about our controversial views. Ballantyne develops a method for distinguishing between our reasonable and unreasonable opinions, in light of evidence about bias, information overload, and rival experts. This method guides us to greater intellectual openness--in the spirit of skeptics from Socrates to Montaigne to Bertrand Russell--making us more inclined to admit that sometimes we don't have the right answers. With vibrant prose and fascinating examples from science and history, Ballantyne shows how epistemology can help us know our limits.

Inhalt

• Chapter 1: Epistemology and Inquiry

• Chapter 2: Regulative Epistemology in the Seventeenth Century

• Chapter 3: How do Epistemic Principles Guide?

• Chapter 4: How to Know Our Limits

• Chapter 5: Disagreement and Debunking

• Chapter 6: Counterfactual Interlocutors

• Chapter 7: Unpossessed Evidence

• Chapter 8: Epistemic Trespassing

• Chapter 9: Novices and Expert Disagreement

• Chapter 10: Self-Defeat?

• Chapter 11: The End of Inquiry

• Bibliography