The limitations of the open mind / Jeremy Fantl.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fantl, Jeremy, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reasoning.

Discussion--Philosophy.

Discussion.

Debates and debating--Philosophy.

Debates and debating.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 229 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2018.

Summary:

When should we engage with those we disagree with? Jeremy Fantl argues that sometimes we can know that arguments for controversial ideas go wrong even without engaging critically with them or figuring out where they err. Sometimes we shouldn't engage critically with an argument and, if we do engage, we shouldn't engage open-mindedly.

Contents:

PART I: The Epistemology of Open-Mindedness; 1: Open-Mindedness; 1.1 Open-Mindedness Toward Arguments; 1.2 Conceptions of Open-Mindedness; 1.3 Open-Mindedness and Outright Belief; 1.4 Conclusion; 2: A Defense of (a Different Kind of) Dogmatism; 2.1 Knowledge and Closed-Mindedness; 2.2 Forward-Looking Dogmatism; 2.3 The Case for Dogmatism FL; 2.4 Conclusion; 3: The Epistemic Efficacy of Amateurism; 3.1 Coins and Counterarguments; 3.2 Higher-Order Evidence; 3.3 The Epistemic Efficacy of Amateurism.

3.4 The Novice Knowledge Principle and the Case for the Other Side; 3.5 Conclusion; 4: Psychic Phenomena and the Existence of God; 4.1 Sources of Knowledge; 4.2 Felt Obviousness; 4.3 Prima Facie Goat and Atheistic Knowledge; 4.4 Goat and Atheistic Knowledge, Undefeated; 4.4.1 The fine-tuning argument; 4.4.2 Statistical arguments for psi; 4.5 Conclusion: The Position of the Expert; PART II: The Ethics of Participation in Argumentation; 5: The Obligation to Engage; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Is the Obligation a Role Ought?; 5.3 The Duty to Maximize Good Epistemic Consequences.

5.4 The Rights of Disputants 5.5 Conclusion; 6: Against Open-Minded Engagement (for Some People); 6.1 Introduction; 6.2 The Case Against Open-Mindedness; 6.3 From Knowledge to Closed-Mindedness; 6.3.1 Worries about the linking premise; 6.3.2 The argument for the linking premise; 6.4 Dealing with the Arguments for Open-Minded Engagement; 7: Against Closed-Minded Engagement (in Some Situations); 7.1 The Pitfalls of Closed-Minded Engagement; 7.2 The Pitfalls of Insincerity; 7.3 The Pitfalls of Sincerity; 8: On Inviting Problematic Speakers to Campus; 8.1 Introduction; 8.2 Learning from Problematic Speakers 8.3 The Case Against Inviting (Some) Problematic Speakers; 8.3.1 Problematic speakers and psychological harm; 8.3.2 Problematic speakers and intrinsic harm; 8.3.3 Problematic speakers and the respect for truth; 8.4 Conclusion.

Notes:

This edition previously issued in print: 2018.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-253533-1

0-19-184574-4

0-19-253532-3