ABSTRACT

This book brings together philosophers to investigate the nature and normativity of group disagreement. Debates in the epistemology of disagreement have mainly been concerned with idealized cases of peer disagreement between individuals. However, most real-life disagreements are complex and often take place within and between groups. Ascribing views, beliefs, and judgments to groups is a common phenomenon that is well researched in the literature on the ontology and epistemology of groups. The chapters in this volume seek to connect these literatures and to explore both intra- and inter- group disagreements. They apply their discussions to a range of political, religious, social, and scientific issues. The Epistemology of Group Disagreement is an important resource for students and scholars working on social and applied epistemology; disagreement; and topics at the intersection of epistemology, ethics, and politics.

chapter 6|22 pages

Bucking the Trend

The Puzzle of Individual Dissent in Contexts of Collective Inquiry

chapter 9|21 pages

Group Disagreement in Science

chapter 10|27 pages

Disagreement in a Group

Aggregation, Respect for Evidence, and Synergy

chapter 11|19 pages

Why Bayesian Agents Polarize

chapter 12|29 pages

The Mirage of Individual Disagreement

Groups Are All that Stand between Humanity and Epistemic Excellence

chapter 13|22 pages

A Plea for Complexity

The Normative Assessment of Groups’ Responses to Testimony