Kornblith and His Critics

Joshua DiPaolo, Luis R.G. Oliveira

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9781394247967
• eBook ISBN: 9781394248001
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Epistemology in Philosophy

A wide-ranging engagement with one of contemporary epistemology's most influential thinkers

Hilary Kornblith is one of the world's leading philosophers theorizing about knowledge and related issues. A key figure in the naturalized epistemology tradition, Kornblith integrates traditional empiricism with contemporary cognitive science, rejecting inward-looking, first-person approaches in favor of a third-person, scientifically grounded perspective on mind and knowledge.

Kornblith's contributions have reshaped debates about the nature and structure of knowledge, justification, and epistemic normativity; he has challenged the legitimacy of conceptual analysis and the reliability of reflection and reasoning, besides charting and defending a mature and self-consciously naturalistic philosophical methodology. By exploring this terrain, Kornblith and His Critics offers an in-depth examination of some of the most unique and innovative work in the last 40 years of anglophone epistemology.

This volume brings together fifteen original essays by leading philosophers engaging with Kornblith's work, each written specifically for this collection. Organized into three main thematic sections – Knowledge and Justification, Reflection and Inference, and Naturalism and Methodology – the collection systematically traces and tests the implications of Kornblith's work across key debates. The volume also includes a substantial reply from Kornblith, offering his own response to the critical challenges raised by the incisive contributions.

Kornblith and His Critics is ideal for graduate and advanced undergraduate philosophy students, especially those taking a variety of courses on epistemology and philosophical methodology. Key features include:

• A complete and detailed overview of how Kornblith's work compares with, and contributes to, key debates in epistemology.
• Cutting-edge engagement with the foundations, nature, and future of naturalized epistemology.
• Thorough discussion of core issues in epistemology: from the nature of knowledge, justification, and inference to the epistemic value of reflection and conceptual analysis.
• A lengthy and unique reply by Hilary Kornblith, directly addressing the critical challenges raised by the incisive contributions.
• A systematic and thematic structure for easy integration into graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses.

Kornblith and His Critics is a vital resource for researchers and instructors within philosophy programs in both MA and PhD curricula, as well as general readers interested in post-analytic and empirically-informed philosophy.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Notes on Contributorsvii
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: On Hilary Kornblith’s Epistemology1
• Section 1 Knowledge and Justification
• Section 2 Reflection and Inference
• Section 3 Naturalism and Methodology
• Section 4 Replies
• Appendix Hilary Kornblith’s Complete Bibliography
• Index
• EULA