How Should We Rationally Deal with Ignorance?

This book addresses two questions that are highly relevant for epistemology and for society: What is ignorance and how should we rationally deal with it? It proposes a new way of thinking about ignorance based on contemporary and historical philosophical theories.

Autorentext

Nadja El Kassar is Professor of Philosophy, with a focus on theoretical philosophy, at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland. Her research interests include social and feminist epistemology, philosophy of perception, and philosophy of mind. Recently she has published articles on ignorance, epistemic injustice, and intellectual self-trust.

Inhalt

1. Introduction Part 1: What Is Ignorance? 2. The Framework I 3. Conceptions of Ignorance 4. Facts of Ignorance 5. Causes of Ignorance Part 2: Rationally Dealing with Ignorance 6. The Framework II 7. Virtue-theoretical Answers 8. Consequentialist Answers 9. Deontological Answers 10. The Maxim-based Answer Part 3: Applications 11. Ignorance in Democracies 12. Ignorance and Uncertainty in Medical Contexts Outlook