Volume 75, 2018
Theories of Knowledge and Epistemology
Ilya Kasavin
Pages 121-125
Underdetermination of Knowledge by Context
A Challenge for Social Epistemology
Social epistemology presents now a multiplicity of approaches, more or less closely connected with philosophical analysis of knowledge. Taken as primarily philosophical approach, it seeks at least general definition. I suppose that socio-epistemological analysis essentially consists in contextualizing problems and problematizing contexts. No other manifestations of cognition but problems deserve philosophical attention. And it is context that endows a problem with meaning. At the same time different context theories in the social sciences and humanities demonstrate two polar trends – an explanatory power of context and endless regress of contextual explanation. Further I will dwell upon this main challenge for social epistemology, which even justifying the autonomy of its own, cannot ignore these scientific developments.