Work

Erotetic Ignorance, Propositional Ignorance, and Questions of Significance. Reply to Christopher Willard‐Kyle

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT In his reply to my book Ignorance: A Philosophical Study , Christopher Willard‐Kyle zooms in on erotetic ignorance and the Significance Condition of my account of ignorance. Erotetic ignorance is lacking the answers to certain questions when the question is sound and when there is an answer to the question. Willard‐Kyle shows that my arguments for the idea that erotetic ignorance reduces to propositional ignorance are wanting. In this response, I address each of his concerns about this claim and also my earlier suggestion that an account of ignorance needs to take a Significance Condition on board. I argue that my thesis that erotetic ignorance reduces to propositional ignorance was, thus put, indeed too crude and Willard‐Kyle's sharp arguments and convincing examples made me see that. However, a refined and more complex version of the thesis can meet his worries.

Source: Philosophical Issues

DOI: 10.1111/phis.70017

Author: Rik Peels

Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics

Subfield: Philosophy

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,900

Funder: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek