Emancipatory Epistemology

It has been argued that naturalized epistemology contributes to emancipatory political change by helping to undermine ideologies that contribute to human oppression. To make it plausible that theoretical philosophy can be politically emancipatory, it is necessary to provide a theory of change that identifies a pathway from theoretical philosophy to political change. Those who regard naturalized epistemology as emancipatory lack a convincing theory of change. They fail to show that ideology critique, as they conceive of it, is an effective way to bring about political change. Such change is usually the result of political action, including civil resistance. While some radical philosophers have argued for the essential unity of theory and practice in action, the contribution of theoretical philosophy to political action is so marginal as to be virtually undetectable. In reply, philosophical purists question whether theoretical philosophy should have socio-political aims. They believe that philosophers should concentrate on giving correct answers to philosophical questions and should be wholly indifferent to the social or political consequences of their answers. This assumes that the social and political consequences of a philosophical view are irrelevant to its philosophical correctness. This assumption is shown to be questionable

Cognitive science · Epistemology · Sociology · African cultural and philosophical studies · African history and culture analysis · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Philosophy · Psychology