Knowledge and Practical Interests (Lines of Thought)
Jason Stanley | 2005-12-22 00:00:00 | Oxford University Press, USA | 204 | Philosophy
Jason Stanley presents a startling and provocative claim about knowledge: that whether or not someone knows a proposition at a given time is in part determined by his or her practical interests, i.e. by how much is at stake for that person at that time. In defending this thesis, Stanley introduces readers to a number of strategies for resolving philosophical paradox, making the book essential not just for specialists in epistemology but for all philosophers interested in philosophical methodology. Since a number of his strategies appeal to linguistic evidence, it will be of great interest to linguists as well.
Reviews
Certainly among the most important works in contemporary epistemology recently, 'Knowledge and Practical Interests' contains the best arguments available against contextualism and also one of the most exciting original approaches to epistemology: subject sensitive invariantism. Obligatory reading for anyone interested in contemporary epistemology.
Reviews
Stanley is a young but extraordinary philosopher. If epistemology is your interest, then this book is on the cutting edge of the topic. Stanley links our needs and perhaps our desires with what we consider to be knowledge. He does it well, with each chapter breaking down his argument and offering up alternative theories. At some points, the book becomes a bit tedious, but in dealing with theories of knowledge, that is understandable. If pragmatism plays into your philosophy of life, then Stanley is your man.
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