Is Genetic Epistemology Possible
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8397249 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard F Kitchener (0000-0003-2948-7767, Colorado State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1987 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 283-299 |
| Publication date | 1987-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjps/38.3.283 |
| OpenAlex | W2007796930 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
Several philosophers have questioned the possibility of a genetic epistemology, an epistemology concerned with the developmental transitions between successive states of knowledge in the individual person. Since most arguments against the possibility of a genetic epistemology crucially depend upon a sharp distinction between the genesis of an idea and its justification, I argue that current philosophy of science raises serious questions about the universal validity of this distinction. Then I discuss several senses of the genetic fallacy, indicating which sense of ‘genesis’ is relevant to epistemology. Next I consider the objection that psychology is irrelevant to epistemology, and that since “genetic epistemology” is really psychology, “genetic epistemology” is irrelevant to a real epistemology. Finally, I take up the objection that nothing discovered in genetic psychology could be relevant to a genetic epistemology. These last two arguments are based upon what I claim to be a mistaken notion of the nature of psychology. Suitably interpreted, psychology can assist genetic epistemology precisely in the way that the history of science assists current philosonhv of science.
Epistemology · Epistemology of Wikipedia · Evolutionary epistemology · Fallacy · Formal epistemology · Genetic epistemology · Meta-epistemology · Nothing · Philosophy of science · Social epistemology · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |