Knowledge, Language and Power

• • A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.

Others

Pre-requisite 40cp at 1000 level or above NCCW (pre-2020 units) PHIL256, PHL256 NCCW (2020 and onwards) PHIL2056 Knowledge, Language and Power

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

What is knowledge? Why is it valuable? And to what extent is our knowledge of the world affected by social position, power and language?  In this unit, we will explore traditional and contemporary approaches to epistemological questions about what we can know, what we should believe, and whom and what we should trust. Can we trust our individual senses or reflection to provide knowledge of the world, or is knowledge inherently social? When our own intuitions clash with what others say, should we trust ourselves or our community? When should we trust and defer to experts, and how can we tell who's really an expert to begin with? We will consider philosophical and practical questions about what it is to be a good or bad epistemic agent, focusing on concepts of epistemic (ir)responsibility and epistemic virtues and vices. We will also examine society-level phenomena that may undermine some people's ability to engage fully as epistemic agents, including systemic material, social, and political patterns that can manifest as epistemic injustice.  Through an examination of issues including political language, propaganda and conspiracy theories, we will consider how our epistemic practices and institutions can lead to injustice or corruption, and what we can do about it.

• Refelctive writing (20%)
• Online quizzes (25%)
• Online participation (15%)
• Argumentative Essay (35%)
• Essay preparation task (5%)

For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).