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Are philosophers functionally integrated enough to socially know?

Quentin Parker Pharr*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

According to accounts like Alexander Bird’s Minimal Functional Account of social knowledge, various groups like those within the sciences can socially know that <p>, even if no particular individual within that group knows that <p>. Bird’s primary example of a group that has such knowledge is the community of semiconductor physicists – which, as he contends, is sufficiently functionally integrated to satisfy accounts like his own. But, what about specialist communities within philosophy? Do they satisfy accounts like Bird’s own? Should they? As I will suggest in this article, some of them should, but do not appear to do so – at least, as of yet.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-19
JournalEpisteme
VolumeFirst View
Early online date17 Jul 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 17 Jul 2025

Keywords

  • Social epistemology
  • Functional integration
  • Disagreement
  • Sociology of philosophy
  • Sociology of science

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