Knowledge in the Real World

Catalog description

What is knowledge? How do we acquire knowledge? Is the creation and transmission of knowledge an individualistic endeavor or a deeply social enterprise? In this course, we begin with a short introduction to the topic of what it means to know something. We then investigate the degree to which we depend on experts for knowledge. We consider whether moral factors should influence evidential thresholds for belief and how prejudice and oppression might prevent members of socially marginalized groups from being recognized as knowers and from comprehending their own experiences. We discuss problems such as fake news and belief polarization. We ask whether being a good friend requires being biased towards one's friends. Through these topics and more, we examine the various ways we rely on one another for knowledge as well as ways in which knowledge transmission can go wrong.