ABSTRACT

While applied epistemology has been neglected for much of the twentieth century, it has seen emerging interest in recent years, with key thinkers in the field helping to put it on the philosophical map. Although it is an old tradition, current technological and social developments have dramatically changed both the questions it faces and the methodology required to answer those questions. Recent developments also make it a particularly important and exciting area for research and teaching in the twenty-first century. The Routledge Handbook of Applied Epistemology is an outstanding reference source to this exciting subject and the first collection of its kind. Comprising entries by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into six main parts:

  • The Internet
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Epistemic institutions
  • Individual investigators
  • Theory and practice in philosophy.

 

Within these sections, the core topics and debates are presented, analyzed, and set into broader historical and disciplinary contexts. The central topics covered include: the prehistory of applied epistemology, expertise and scientific authority, epistemic aspects of political and social philosophy, epistemology and the law, and epistemology and medicine.

Essential reading for students and researchers in epistemology, political philosophy, and applied ethics the Handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as law, sociology, and politics.

part I|12 pages

Introduction

part II|56 pages

The Internet

chapter 2|13 pages

The World Wide Web

chapter 3|13 pages

Wikipedia

chapter 4|13 pages

Googling

part III|60 pages

Politics

chapter 7|13 pages

Epistemic democracy

chapter 9|14 pages

Propaganda and Ideology

part IV|48 pages

Science

chapter 10|11 pages

Expertise in climate science

chapter 11|12 pages

Evidence-based medicine

chapter 12|12 pages

The precautionary principle in medical research and policy

The case of sponsorship bias

chapter 13|11 pages

Psychology and conspiracy theories 1

part V|54 pages

Epistemic institutions

chapter 15|15 pages

Banking and finance

Disentangling the epistemic failings of the 2008 financial crisis

chapter 16|20 pages

Applied epistemology of education

part VI|64 pages

Individual investigators

chapter 17|14 pages

Disagreement

chapter 18|12 pages

Forecasting

chapter 19|13 pages

Rumor

chapter 20|12 pages

Gossip

part VII|37 pages

Theory and practice in philosophy

chapter 22|10 pages

Philosophical expertise

chapter 23|11 pages

Ethical expertise

chapter 24|14 pages

The demise of grand narratives?

Postmodernism, power-knowledge, and applied epistemology