(Don't) Think for Yourself : On Thinking and Teaching Critically and Responsibly

• Main Author: Edfors, Evelina
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Filosofiska institutionen 2021
• Subjects: Critical Thinking; Credulity; Truth Conduciveness; Epistemic Responsibility; Epistemic Fluidity; Social Epistemology; Virtue Epistemology; Philosophy; Filosofi
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-446876

In this thesis, I explore the issue of epistemic responsibility. I start by examining an argument against the use of critical thinking made by Michael Huemer. Huemer argues that critical thinking is not epistemically responsible, because it is not as truth conducive as credulity. Huemer instead argues that credulity should be the default approach taken by non-experts. After dissecting this argument, I go on to examine one of the critics to Huemer’s argument: David Kary. Kary argues that critical thinking and credulity are not mutually exclusive and can therefore be combined in an epistemically responsible way. Kary further argues that one must consider the social components of epistemic responsibility, and that when one does so, it is evident that truth conduciveness is not the only component of epistemic responsibility. I extend Huemer and Kary’s discussion by arguing that epistemic responsibility is even more complex. Epistemic superiority, equality and inferiority are fluid positions that change depending on context, and this must be considered when evaluating epistemic responsibility. The consequence of this approach is that a combination of critical thinking and credulity is the most responsible alternative. I end by arguing for the intellectual virtues and benefits of embracing this argument.