Ignorance: A Philosophical Study

by Rik Peels

Overview

Ignorance: A Philosophical Study provides an in-depth exploration of ignorance in its many dimensions. Philosophers have long examined epistemological concepts like belief, knowledge, and understanding, but they have paid less attention to ignorance. Socrates famously claimed to be ignorant about a wide variety of issues, such as physical matters and ethics, but did not study ignorance itself. It was not until the 1960's and 70's that ignorance itself became a topic of concern in philosophy, when the fields of agnotology, philosophy of race, and feminist philosophy were born. These fields, however, focused on specific properties of ignorance, rather than ignorance itself.

Rik Peels provides a full-on epistemology of ignorance, and then applies that epistemology to a wide variety of philosophical issues. Among the questions he addresses are: What kinds of ignorance are there? What is it to be ignorant of a proposition? What varieties of propositional ignorance are there? What is group ignorance? What is it for ignorance to come in degrees? What is strategic ignorance? What is "white ignorance"? What does ignorance excuse? When is ignorance culpable? Can ignorance be a proper aim in education? Peels presents a wide-angle exploration that is relevant to the interests of philosophers across epistemology, ethics, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, and other disciplines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197654514
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/28/2023
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	5.86(w) x 8.28(h) x 1.07(d)

About the Author

Rik Peels is known for his philosophical work on the ethics of belief, ignorance, scientism, and issues in the philosophy of religion. Over the last few years, he has been co-leader of various international projects funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. Increasingly, he addresses topics at the intersection of philosophy and empirical disciplines, such as replication in the humanities and the epistemic responsibilities of universities. He is currently leading a large research project, funded by the European Research Council, on the epistemology and ethics of extreme beliefs. He aims to synthesize empirical work with conceptual and normative approaches to fundamentalism, extremism, and conspiracy thinking.

Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations

1. Introduction: We Need to Know More about Ignorance
Introduction
A Brief History of the Philosophical Study of Ignorance
The Neglect of Ignorance in Epistemology
A New Approach to Ignorance
Overview of the Book


Part 1 The Epistemology of Ignorance

2. Kinds of Ignorance
Introduction
Propositional Ignorance
Objectual Ignorance
Practical Ignorance
Erotetic Ignorance
Ignorance and Understanding
Ignorance and Wisdom
The Nature of Ignorance and Its Contingent Properties
A Rival View: El Kassar on Ignorance
Conclusion

3. The Nature of Propositional Ignorance
Introduction
The Standard and New Views on Ignorance
Arguments for the Standard View
Arguments for the New View
Ignorance and the Duty to Inquire
The Epistemic Badness of Ignorance
Conclusion

4. Varieties of Propositional Ignorance
Introduction
Six Varieties of Ignorance
Further Varieties of Ignorance?
Objections and Replies
First- and Second-Order Ignorance
Disentangling the Varieties of Ignorance
Conclusion

5. Group Ignorance
Introduction
Two Cases: Fundamentalist and White Ignorance
Extrapolating from Group Belief?
The Dynamic Account of Group Ignorance
Objections and Replies
Conclusion

6. Degrees of Ignorance
Introduction
What Are Degrees?
Degrees of Propositional Ignorance
Degrees of Objectual Ignorance
Degrees of Practical Ignorance
Degrees of Group Ignorance
Conclusion


Part 2 Applying the Epistemology of Ignorance

7. Strategic Ignorance
Introduction
A New Conception of Ignorance in Agnotology?
The Standard and New Views on Strategic Ignorance
Strategic Ignorance as Group Ignorance
Kinds of Strategic Ignorance
Varieties of Strategic Ignorance
Degrees of Strategic Ignorance
Conclusion

8. White Ignorance
Introduction
A New Conception of Ignorance in the Philosophy of Race?
Kinds of White Ignorance
Varieties of White Ignorance
White Ignorance as Group Ignorance
Degrees of White Ignorance
Conclusion

9. Ignorance in Education
Introduction
Presenting Defeaters
Scaffolding
Promoting Understanding
Showing That the Student Does Not Know
Objectual Ignorance
Practical Ignorance
Group Ignorance
Conclusion

10. Ignorance That Excuses
Introduction
Excuses
Ignorance of What Excuses?
Does Normative Ignorance Excuse as Well?
Which Varieties of Ignorance Excuse?
Group Ignorance as an Excuse
Conclusion

11. The Roots of Culpable Ignorance
Introduction
Culpability
The Influence View
Two Rival Views: Compatibilism and Attributionism
The Origination Thesis
Influence and Culpable Ignorance
Objections and Replies
Ramifications
Conclusion

12. Asserting Ignorance
Introduction
Asserting Objectual and Practical Ignorance
Asserting the Varieties of Ignorance
Asserting Unwarranted Ignorance
Asserting Ignorance That Issues from Duty Violation
Asserting Group Ignorance
Inexpressible Ignorance and the Transparency View
Conclusion

Epilogue
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Peels is one of the leading figures working on the philosophy of ignorance. This comprehensive treatment of the subject will be the touchstone for all future work on this topic and thus required reading for anyone interested in understanding ignorance. -Duncan Pritchard, UC Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Irvine

"By providing a unified epistemology of ignorance, this book makes an important contribution to this growing field in epistemology. It adds to many important debates and brings the discussion forward." -Säde Hormio

"This book is excellent in many ways. It is a stimulating, comprehensive, and very thoroughly researched monograph on a timely topic. It is teeming with interesting arguments. Peels puts to good use his impressive knowledge of epistemology, moral philosophy, political philosophy, the philosophy of language, and theology. This is a pioneering monograph on a widely encompassing topic." -Nikolaj Nottelmann, Associate Professor, Department for the Study of Culture, University of Southern Denmark

"This book should prove to be an invaluable resource for those interested in the philosophy of ignorance. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty." — Choice

From the Publisher