The Epistemic Dimensions of Ignorance

Ignorance is a neglected issue in philosophy. This is surprising for, contrary to what one might expect, it is not clear what ignorance is. Some philosophers say or assume that it is a lack of knowledge, whereas others claim or presuppose that it is an absence of true belief. What is one ignorant of when one is ignorant? What kinds of ignorance are there? This neglect is also remarkable because ignorance plays a crucial role in all sorts of controversial societal issues. Ignorance is often thought to be a moral and legal excuse; it is a core concept in medical ethics and debates about privacy, and it features in religious traditions and debates about belief in God. This book does not only study an epistemic phenomenon that is interesting in itself, but also provides important tools that can be fruitfully used in debates within and beyond philosophy.

1. Introduction Rik Peels and Martijn Blaauw; 2. The nature of ignorance: two views Pierre Le Morvan and Rik Peels; 3. The varieties of ignorance Nikolaj Nottelmann; 4. Ignorance and incompetence: linguistic considerations Berit Brogaard; 5. Explicating ignorance and doubt: a possible worlds approach Erik J. Olsson and Carlo Proietti; 6. Ignorance and epistemic contextualism Michael Blome-Tillmann; 7. Anti-intellectualism and ignorance Jessica Brown; 8. Ignorance and epistemic value Duncan Pritchard; 9. Ignorance and the religious life Justin McBrayer; 10. Epistemic injustice and the preservation of ignorance Miranda Fricker; 11. Ignorance and racial insensitivity José Medina.

Rik Peels is lecturer in philosophy at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.
Martijn Blaauw is lecturer in philosophy at Technische Universiteit Delft, The Netherlands.