Universität Wien

180127 KU Ethics of Knowledge (2025S)

10.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung

Hinweis der SPL Philosophie:

Das Abgeben von ganz oder teilweise von einem KI-tool (z.B. ChatGPT) verfassten Texten als Leistungsnachweis (z.B. Seminararbeit) ist nur dann erlaubt, wenn dies von der Lehrveranstaltungsleitung ausdrücklich als mögliche Arbeitsweise genehmigt wurde. Auch hierbei müssen direkt oder indirekt zitierte Textstellen wie immer klar mit Quellenangabe ausgewiesen werden.

Die Lehrveranstaltungsleitung kann zur Überprüfung der Autorenschaft einer abgegebenen schriftlichen Arbeit ein notenrelevantes Gespräch (Plausibilitätsprüfung) vorsehen, das erfolgreich zu absolvieren ist.
Moodle
Do 08.05. 09:45-13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 30 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

  • Dienstag 11.03. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Donnerstag 20.03. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Donnerstag 27.03. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Dienstag 01.04. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Donnerstag 10.04. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Donnerstag 15.05. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Donnerstag 22.05. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Donnerstag 05.06. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Dienstag 10.06. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Donnerstag 26.06. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

Received wisdom has epistemology and moral philosophy are separate spheres. The former is about what to believe. It trucks in evidence, justification, and epistemic rationality. The latter is about what to do. It’s concerned with moral rights and duties and values.

Much recent work challenges this received wisdom. This course will look at some of it. We will think about whether moral considerations bear on theory-choice in epistemology: for example, on what knowledge is, or what theory of justification we should accept. We will examine whether belief is subject to moral evaluations – for example, beliefs that are racist and sexist. And then will look at some phenomena that seem to answer to both epistemic and moral norms, focussing on trust and inquiry.

We will also talk about handouts! How to make to good ones and how to use them strategically as a starting point for academic writing.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Students are expected to prepare for sessions by completing brief reading assignments before each and uploading them 24 hours before the seminar. These will be marked pass/fail.

In addition, there will be three written assignments.
1. A handout (2 pages) on one of the course readings. This handout will have to be uploaded to Moodle before the relevant session in which that course reading is discussed.

2. A handout (2 pages) planning your final essay. This assignment will have to be uploaded to Moodle by June 22nd.

3. A final essay (2000 words) and a mandatory self-evaluation of the essay.

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Attendance is mandatory.

The final mark will be a weighted average of all components, with the following weights:
Participation: 10%
Short weekly assignments: 10%
Handout 1: 20%
Handout 2: 20%
Final essay + self-evaluation: 40%

In order to receive a passing grade in the course, you must receive a passing grade for each component.

Prüfungsstoff

There will be no exam. See above for how the course is evaluated.

Literatur

All readings will be made available on Moodle. The tentative plan is as follows:

1. Introduction: The Epistemic and the Moral
Clifford, William K. "The ethics of belief." First published (1877).
Haslanger, Sally. "What knowledge is and what it ought to be: Feminist values and normative epistemology." Philosophical perspectives 13 (1999): 459-480.

2. The Epistemic and the Moral: Internalism/Externalism
Srinivasan, Amia. "Radical externalism." Philosophical Review 129.3 (2020): 395-431.
Johnson King, Zoë. "Radical internalism." Philosophical Issues 32.1 (2022): 46-64.

3. Can Epistemic and Moral Norms Conflict?
Stroud, Sarah. "Epistemic partiality in friendship." Ethics 116.3 (2006): 498-524.
Basut, Rima. "Moral Encroachment and Doxastic Wronging." Applied epistemology (2021): 99.

4. Praise and Criticism: Moral and Epistemic
King, Zoë Johnson. "Praiseworthy Acting and Praiseworthy Believing."
Woodard, Elise. "Epistemic atonement." Oxford Studies in Metaethics Volume 18 18 (2023): 163.

5. Trust
Baier, Annette. "Trust and antitrust." Feminist Social Thought. Routledge, 2014. 604-629.
Nguyen, C. Thi. "Trust as an unquestioning attitude." (2022).

6. The Ethics of Trust
Preston-Roedder, Ryan. "Faith in humanity." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 87.3 (2013): 664-687.
Hawley, Katherine. "Partiality and prejudice in trusting." Synthese 191 (2014): 2029-2045.

7. Inquiry and its Norms
Friedman, Jane. "Why suspend judging?." Noûs 51.2 (2017): 302-326.

8. Evaluating Inquiry
Munton, Jessie. "Answering machines: How to (epistemically) evaluate a search engine." Inquiry (2022): 1-29.
Flores, Carolina. "Epistemic styles." philosophical topics 49.2 (2021): 35-56.

9. Curiosity
Dover, Daniela. "Two kinds of curiosity." Philosophy and Phenomenological research 108.3 (2024): 811-832.

10. Inquiry and Democracy
Siegel, Susanna. 2022. “Salience Principles for Democracy.” In Salience, edited by
Sophie Archer, 235–66. Taylor and Francis.
Gordon-Smith, Eleanor. Should the Journalist Seek to Promote Civically Useful Attitudes?

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Letzte Änderung: Mi 12.03.2025 10:26