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21Thomas Kuhn and the Strong Programme. An Appropriate Appropriation?In K. Brad Wray (ed.), Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions at 60, Cambridge University Press. pp. 235-253. 2024.This chapter discusses whether the appropriation of Kuhnian thoughts by the so-called Strong Programme in the sociology of scientific knowledge is appropriate. In order to answer the question of appropriate appropriation, Kuhn’s and the Strong Programme’s stances on two “isms” are compared: relativism and naturalism. It is shown that the Strong Programme clearly goes beyond Kuhn and breaks more radically with philosophical tradition. Nevertheless, there are also philosophical continuities and si…Read more
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29Ein Plädoyer wider die Annahme einer fundamentalen Unterscheidung von Genese und Geltung in der ErkenntnistheorieZeitschrift für Philosophische Forschung 77 (4): 454-483. 2023.Many epistemologists believe that the distinction between the genesis and the validity of a belief is a fundamental presupposition of adequate epistemological reflection. In this article it will be argued that the arguments for this majority conviction are not convincing. As an alternative it is suggested that the distin- ction between epistemic and non-epistemic procedures should be regarded as fundamental for epistemology.
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95Review: Hoyningen-Huene, Paul: Systematicity. The Nature of Science. New York: Oxford University Press 2013. (review)Zeitschrift für Philosophische Literatur 2 (4): 33-38. 2014.
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5Strong and Weak Metaphysical QuietismIn Andreas Vieth (ed.), Richard Rorty: His Philosophy Under Discussion, Verlag. pp. 109-118. 2005.
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30Portraying the relativist spectrum: Martin Kusch: Relativism in the philosophy of science, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020, 69 pp, £ 15 (review)Metascience 30 (3): 357-360. 2021.
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46Review of 'Viewpoint Relativism' by Antti Hautamäki (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. 2020.
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49What Is Fallibilist About Audi’s Fallibilist Foundationalism?In Johannes Müller-Salo (ed.), Robert Audi: Critical Engagements, Springer Verlag. pp. 43-69. 2018.In this paper we show that Audi’s fallibilist foundationalism is beset by three unclarities. First, there is a conceptual unclarity in that Audi leaves open if and how to distinguish clearly between the concepts of fallibility and defeasibility. Second, there is a general unclarity: it is not always clear which fallibility/defeasibility-theses Audi accepts or denies. Finally, there is an unclarity of self-application because Audi does not specify his own claim that fallibilist foundationalism is…Read more
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47Balancing the Normativity of ExpertiseSocial Epistemology Review and Reply Collective 8 (7): 34-40. 2019.
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54Einheit und Vielfalt in den Wissenschaften (edited book)De Gruyter. 2019.Universitäten weisen als institutioneller Inbegriff von Wissenschaft eine immense Fächervielfalt auf. Doch was hält diese Vielfalt der Wissenschaften zusammen, und was sind deren jeweiligen Besonderheiten? Ist es überhaupt sinnvoll, solch unterschiedliche Forschungsbereiche wie zum Beispiel die Koptologie und die Materialphysik nach ähnlichen Standards zu bewerten und zu vergleichen? Ist solch eine Vielfalt notwendig für den Erkenntnisfortschritt oder eher ein Hemmnis, das es zu überwinden gilt?…Read more
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134Kuhn’s two accounts of rational disagreement in science: an interpretation and critiqueSynthese 198 (Suppl 25): 6023-6051. 2019.Whereas there is much discussion about Thomas Kuhn’s notion of methodological incommensurability and many have seen his ideas as an attempt to allow for rational disagreement in science, so far no serious analysis of how exactly Kuhn aims to account for rational disagreement has been proposed. This paper provides the first in-depth analysis of Kuhn’s account of rational disagreement in science—an account that can be seen as the most prominent attempt to allow for rational disagreement in science…Read more
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61Rational Peer Disagreement Upon Sufficient Evidence: leaving the Track to Truth?In Ludger Jansen & Paul M. Näger (eds.), Peter van Inwagen: Materialism, Free Will and God, Springer. pp. 17-39. 2018.In this paper, we will discuss Peter van Inwagen’s contribution to the epistemological debate about revealed peer disagreement. Roughly, this debate focuses on situations in which at least two participants disagree on a certain proposition based on the same evidence. This leads to the problem of how one should react rationally when peer disagreement is revealed. Van Inwagen, as we will show, discusses four possible reactions, all of which he rejects as unsatisfying. Our proposal will be to point…Read more
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64Introduction: The Philosophy of Expertise—What is Expertise?Topoi 37 (1): 1-2. 2018.In this paper I will introduce a practical explication for the notion of expertise. At first, I motivate this attempt by taking a look on recent debates which display great disagreement about whether and how to define expertise in the first place. After that I will introduce the methodology of practical explications in the spirit of Edward Craig’s Knowledge and the state of nature along with some conditions of adequacy taken from ordinary and scientific language. This eventually culminates in th…Read more
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119Scylla and Charybdis of the epistemic relativist: Why the epistemic relativist still cannot use the sceptic’s strategyStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 44 (1): 145-149. 2013.In a reply to Howard Sankey I have maintained that the epistemic relativist cannot use the strategy of the sceptic since the relativist is at pains not to draw the sceptical solution. Sankey has objected to my argument by distinguishing between weak and strong justification: according to Sankey, the relativist using the sceptic’s strategy aims to provide an argument against the latter form of justification but still maintains that we can have the former.In this counter-response I argue that if t…Read more
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453Von Wahrheit über Bedeutung zum Anti-Begriffsrelativismus? Davidsons Argumentation gegen den BegriffsrelativismusFacta Philosophica 10 (1): 39-66. 2008.Since Davidson's proposal to use a Tarskian theory of truth in order to develop a theory of meaning has been criticised extensively, it is decisive to ask whether Davidson needs such a theory as an assumption and premise in other parts of his work. Especially, many authors have claimed that Davidson's argument in his paper 'On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme' depends on his approach in the theory of meaning. It is argued that this interpretation is wrong and Davidson's attack on conceptual …Read more
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6158The Problem of Relativism in the Sociology of (Scientific) Knowledge (edited book)ontos. 2011.This volume comprises original articles by leading authors – from philosophy as well as sociology – in the debate around relativism in the sociology of (scientific) knowledge. Its aim has been to bring together several threads from the relevant disciplines and to cover the discussion from historical and systematic points of view. Among the contributors are Maria Baghramian, Barry Barnes, Martin Endreß, Hubert Knoblauch, Richard Schantz and Harvey Siegel.
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175Epistemic Relativism. A Constructive CritiquePalgrave-Macmillan. 2014.Are our beliefs justified only relatively to a specific culture or society? Is it possible to give reasons for the superiority of our scientific, epistemic methods? Markus Seidel sets out to answer these questions in his critique of epistemic relativism. Focusing on the work of the most prominent, explicitly relativist position in the sociology of scientific knowledge – so-called 'Edinburgh relativism' or the 'Strong Programme' –, he scrutinizes the key arguments for epistemic relativism from a …Read more
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690Ludwik Fleck's ScientismSocial Epistemology Review and Reply Collective 4 (8): 79-88. 2015.In a recent paper in 'Social Epistemology' Dimitri Ginev aims to show that Ludwik Fleck uses transcendental arguments in two contexts in his work that are closely intertwined: the context of comparative cognitive sociology and the context of socio-historical epistemology. I am skeptical about Ginev’s interpretation and my aim is to show that at least the part of Ginev’s argument in which he aims to show Fleck’s use of transcendental arguments in the context of soci…Read more
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146Ernest Sosa: Targeting His Philosophy (edited book)Springer. 2016.This volume provides the reader with exclusive insights into Ernest Sosa’s latest ideas as well as main aspects of his philosophical work of the last 50 years. Ernest Sosa, one of the most distinguished contemporary philosophers, is best known for his ground-breaking work in epistemology, and has also contributed greatly to metaphysics, metaphilosophy and philosophy of language.
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55The Real Struggle: An Objective Notion of Expertise?Informal Logic 36 (2): 253-264. 2016.In a paper published in this journal Martin Hinton aims to show that the struggle between Moti Mizrahi and me about whether arguments from expert opinion are weak arguments rests on misunderstandings (Hinton 2015). Let me emphasize that I generally appreciate Hinton’s intention to settle the dispute between Mizrahi and myself in this way. 1 Furthermore, I also agree with Hinton’s conclusion that if Mizrahi is interpreted in the way Hinton does, then Mizrahi’s “claim becomes far less controversia…Read more
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2Rule-Following and A Priori Biconditionals - A Sea of Tears?In Simon Derpmann & David Schweikard (eds.), Philip Pettit: Five Themes from his Work, Springer. pp. 19-31. 2016.
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39A Snowslide of Entities. Does Sosa's Existential Relativism Provide a Barrier Against Being Buried?In Amrei Bahr & Markus Seidel (eds.), Ernest Sosa: Targeting His Philosophy, Springer. pp. 101-118. 2016.This paper discusses Sosa’s via media between existential relativism and absolutism. We discuss three implications of Sosa’s account which require some further clarification. First, we distinguish three alternative readings of Sosa’s account – the indexicalist, the homonymist and the (proper) relativist reading – and argue that they differ with respect to two crucial points: (a) they lead to different analyses of the lack of disagreement in existential discourse, and (b) they differ with respect…Read more
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35IntroductionIn Markus Seidel & Richard Schantz (eds.), The Problem of Relativism in the Sociology of Knowledge, De Gruyter. pp. 11-22. 2011.Introduction to the book
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Lessons in Multiculturalism and Objectivity? Puzzling Out Susan Haack's Philosophy of EducationIn Julia Göhner & Eva-Maria Jung (eds.), Susan Haack: Reintegrating Philosophy, Springer. pp. 123-131. 2016.
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3Promiscuous Objects, Hybrid Truth and Scientific RealismIn Marie Kaiser & Ansgar Seide (eds.), Philip Kitcher – Pragmatic Naturalism., Ontos. pp. 111-127. 2013.Philip Kitcher’s account of scientific realism in 'The Advancement of Science' (AS) differs from his account in 'Science, Truth and Democracy' (STD). We demonstrate that (1) contrary to appearance, Kitcher in AS proposes a so-called Kantian realism that is accompanied not by a correspondence theory, but by a hybrid conception of truth. (2) Also, we point out that Kitcher does not pertain to the “promiscuous realism” proposed in STD stringently, but falls back on his Kantian realism of AS at poin…Read more
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105Throwing the Baby Out with the Water: From Reasonably Scrutinizing Authorities to Rampant Scepticism About ExpertiseInformal Logic 34 (2): 192-218. 2014.In this paper, I argue that many arguments from expert opinion are strong arguments. Therefore, in many cases it is rational to rely on experts since in many cases the fact that an expert says that p makes it highly likely that p is true. I will defend this claim by providing 5 arguments that illuminate and elaborate on 5 crucial claims about expertise. In this way, I aim to undermine recent attempts to establish a rampant scepticism about arguments from expert opinion.
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84Between Relativism and Absolutism? – The Failure of Kuhn’s Moderate RelativismWas Dürfen Wir Glauben? Was Sollen Wir Tun? Sektionsbeiträge des Achten Internationalen Kongresses der Gesellschaft Für Analytische Philosophie E.V. 2013.In this paper I argue that a moderate form of epistemic relativism that is inspired by the work of Thomas Kuhn fails. First of all, it is shown that there is evidence to the effect that Kuhn already in his 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' proposes moderate relativism. Second, it is argued that moderate relativism is confronted with a severe dilemma that follows from Kuhn’s own argument for his relativistic conclusion. By focusing on the work of moderate relativists like Bernd Schofer a…Read more
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K. Brad Wray: Kuhn's Evolutionary Social Epistemology (review)ZTS - Zeitschrift für Theoretische Soziologie 2 328-332. 2013.
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118Relativism or Relationism? A Mannheimian Interpretation of Fleck’s Claims About RelativismJournal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 42 (2): 219-240. 2011.The paper explores the defence by the early sociologist of science Ludwik Fleck against the charge of relativism. It is shown that there are crucial and hitherto unnoticed similarities between Fleck’s strategy and the attempt by his contemporary Karl Mannheim to distinguish between an incoherent relativism and a consistent relationism. Both authors seek to revise epistemology fundamentally by reinterpreting the concept of objectivity in two ways: as inner- and inter-style objectivity. The argume…Read more
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1Trivial, Platitudinous, Boring? Searle on Conceptual RelativismIn Dirk Franken, Attila Karakus & Jan Michel (eds.), John R. Searle. Thinking About the Real World., Ontos. 2010.In this paper we explore Searle’s defense of conceptual relativism. It emerges that Searle formulates the thesis in many different ways and that contrary to his contention not all are trivial and platitudinous. Specifically he does not distinguish clearly between an ontological and a linguistic version of conceptual relativism as well as between weak difference and stronger incommensurability of conceptual schemes. This has consequences for Searle’s defense of external realism.
University of Siegen
Alumnus, 2014
Münster, Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany
Areas of Specialization
Epistemology |
Philosophy of Social Science |
General Philosophy of Science |
Philosophy of Science, Misc |
Thomas Kuhn |
PhilPapers Editorships
Epistemic Relativism |
Epistemic Relativism, Misc |
Sociology of Knowledge |
Sociology of Science |