What is epistemic agency, after all?

Authors

  • Doraci Engel Pontíficia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2017.3.28442

Keywords:

Agency, Epistemic Rationality, Practical Rationality, Knowledge.

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the possibility of agency in the epistemic domain – the view shared by many philosophers that we can be active, rather than passive, in relation to our beliefs and knowledge. I conclude that the notion of epistemic agency is plausible only in an indirect sense, referring to the different actions we take to improve our epistemic commitments. It is a kind of practical agency, like any agency, which does not allow us to think that we can be acting in any way when we believe or know.

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Author Biography

Doraci Engel, Pontíficia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

Possui graduação em jornalismo pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC (1983), graduação em Filosofia pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - PUCRS (2010), mestrado em Filosofia pela Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - PUCRS (2012) e doutorado pela Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - PUCRS (2017). Pesquisa nas áreas de Epistemologia e Metafisica.

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Published

2017-12-28

How to Cite

Engel, D. (2017). What is epistemic agency, after all?. Veritas (Porto Alegre), 62(3), 540–565. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2017.3.28442