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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Book | Chapter

183621

Relevant alternatives in epistemology and logic

Peter Hawke

pp. 207-235

Abstract

The goal of the current paper is to provide an introduction to and survey of the diverse landscape of relevant alternatives theories of knowledge. Emphasis is placed throughout both on the abstractness of the relevant alternatives approach and its amenability to formalization through logical techniques. We present some of the important motivations for adopting the relevant alternatives approach; briefly explore the connections and contrasts between the relevant alternatives approach and related developments in logic, epistemology and philosophy of science; provide a schema for classifying and studying relevant alternatives theories at different levels of abstraction; and present a sample of relevant alternatives theories (contrasting what we call question-first and topic-first theories) that tie our discussion to ongoing debates in the philosophical literature, as well as showcasing techniques for formalizing some of the important positions in these debates.

Publication details

Published in:

Redmond Juan, Martins Olga Pombo, Fernández Ángel Nepomuceno (2016) Epistemology, knowledge and the impact of interaction. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 207-235

Full citation:

Hawke Peter (2016) „Relevant alternatives in epistemology and logic“, In: J. Redmond, O. Martins & Á. Fernández (eds.), Epistemology, knowledge and the impact of interaction, Dordrecht, Springer, 207–235.