Day 12: The Social Articulation of the Space of Reasons

•      Semantics and Epistemology

•      The Conceptual Blindspot of Reliabilism

•      Reliabilism and Naturalism

•      Blindspots and Insights

•      Brandom on the Social Articulation of Reasons

•      Read ENE: 63 – 82 (Independent Study)

Semantics and Epistemology

•      Semantics and the belief condition:

–  According to Brandom, what is a key difference between mere reliable indicators (iron filings, landmines, tree rings…) and believers?

–  What epistemic conclusion does Brandom draw from how he answers the preceding question?

The Conceptual Blind Spot of Reliabilism

•      According to Brandom, what is the conceptual blind spot of reliabilism?

•      What does Brandom say about examples of proper believers who have arrived at a true belief using a reliable process or method but are unaware of their reliability?  (I.e. what does Brandom say about the founding insight of reliabilism?)

Reliabilism and Naturalism

•      What are people talking about when they talk about naturalizing epistemology?

•      In what sense are reliabilists interested in naturalizing epistemology?

•      What is the point of the barn facades example?  What is “Goldman’s Insight”?

•      How does Brandom use Goldman’s insight against Goldman’s reliabilism?

•      The “problem of the reference class” or the “generality problem”

Blind Spots and Insights

•      According to Brandom:

•      What is the conceptual blind spot of reliabilism?

•      What is the naturalistic blind spot of reliabilism?

•      What is the founding insight of reliabilism?

•      What is Goldman’s Insight?

•      What is the implicit insight of reliabilism?

Brandom on the Social Articulation of Reasons

•      According to Brandom, what does knowledge attribution involve?

•      What is commitment?

•      What is entitlement?

•      What is endorsement?

•      Key to the above is the difference between assessor/attributor of knowledge and the subject/target of knowledge attribution