Towards a Sociologistic Account of Human Knowledge

FLORENCIA RIMOLDI

Ciudad de México

Conferencia; Seminario de Epistemología; 2015

Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas, UNAM

@font-face { font-family: "&#65325;&#65331; &#26126;&#26397;";}@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math";}@font-face { font-family: "Cambria";}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }span.MsoFootnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }span.TextonotapieCar { }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }In this paper I will be presenting the basic tenets of a "sociologistic" theory of knowledge. According to thistype of theory, knowledge is a social phenomenon.Iwill do this within the analytic tradition of conceptual analysis. I willdefend a conception of the epistemological enterprise according to whichconceptual analysis is needed, but must also  be complemented with empirical studiesprovided by sociology, linguistics, history and psychology.<!-- /* Font Definitions */@font-face{font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-font-charset:78;mso-generic-font-family:auto;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}@font-face{font-family:"Cambria Math";panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:auto;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face{font-family:Cambria;panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:auto;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal{mso-style-unhide:no;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD;}.MsoChpDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;mso-default-props:yes;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD;}@page WordSection1{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm;mso-header-margin:36.0pt;mso-footer-margin:36.0pt;mso-paper-source:0;}div.WordSection1{page:WordSection1;}-->I willtry to show that there are some paces left to whom wishes to defend thatknowledge is a fundamentally social phenomenon, without having to abandondebates, procedures, argumentative styles and other elements of analytictradition. Thus, in this work I will not give a full argument for a specifictheory of knowledge. The purpose of the paper is to show how is it possible tomake sense of the philosophical study of epistemic phenomena qua social phenomena within theconceptual space of philosophical analysis, and in dialogue with anepistemological tradition that engages in a priori conceptual analysis. I willbe content, then, with successfully showing the way in which that possibilitycan be actualized, showing at the same time that not only it is a desirablepossibility, but a concrete form with concrete results. The schematicpresentation of a specific theory of knowledge given in the last section isdependent on the fulfillment of that broader goal.