The role of subjective certainty in the epistemology of testimony
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Michel Croce
Abstract
The notion of subjective certainty has been ruled out of epistemological debate as unreliable and deceptive. In contrast, in this paper I argue that it is undoubtedly valuable to the field of epistemology of testimony, where hearers must choose whether or not they trust speakers’ claims. I also argue that the role of subjective certainty depends on the context. In the philosophical context, where the skeptical threat cannot be avoided, subjective certainty can only perform a marginal role in the hearer's acquisition of knowledge from a speaker. In contrast, in the ordinary context subjective certainty can be the key factor that allows the transmission of knowledge, especially in “innocent testimony” cases where the hearer is not required to possess evidential reasons for trusting the speaker.
Abstract
The notion of subjective certainty has been ruled out of epistemological debate as unreliable and deceptive. In contrast, in this paper I argue that it is undoubtedly valuable to the field of epistemology of testimony, where hearers must choose whether or not they trust speakers’ claims. I also argue that the role of subjective certainty depends on the context. In the philosophical context, where the skeptical threat cannot be avoided, subjective certainty can only perform a marginal role in the hearer's acquisition of knowledge from a speaker. In contrast, in the ordinary context subjective certainty can be the key factor that allows the transmission of knowledge, especially in “innocent testimony” cases where the hearer is not required to possess evidential reasons for trusting the speaker.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction 1
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Certainty
- Certainty 29
- Modes of modality in an Un-Cartesian framework 47
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(Un)Certainty as attitudinality
- Counter-argumentation and modality 65
- Explanation as a certainty marker in persuasive dialogue 83
- How to deal with attitude strength in debating situations. A survey on forewarning, argument strength, repetition, and source credibility as mediators of uncertainty 97
- The role of subjective certainty in the epistemology of testimony 121
- Uncertainty in polar questions and certainty in answers? 135
- Lying as a scalar phenomenon 153
- Persuasion pragmatic strategies in L1/L2 Italian argument-ative speech 175
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Dialogical exchange and speech acts
- What do I know as yet? 185
- On polar questions, negation, and the syntactic encoding of epistemicity 199
- Epistemic uncertainty and the syntax of speech acts 217
- Discursive functions of evidentials and epistemic modals 239
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Onomasiology
- Vagueness, unspecificity, and approximation. Cognitive and lexical aspects in English, Swedish, and Italian 265
- Latin commitment-markers 285
- Italian come se “as if” 297
-
Applications in exegesis and religious discourse
- The communication of certainty/uncertainty within a Gospel passage (John 9:1-41) 327
- Rhetorics of (un)certainty in religious discourse 343
- Subject index 363
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction 1
-
Certainty
- Certainty 29
- Modes of modality in an Un-Cartesian framework 47
-
(Un)Certainty as attitudinality
- Counter-argumentation and modality 65
- Explanation as a certainty marker in persuasive dialogue 83
- How to deal with attitude strength in debating situations. A survey on forewarning, argument strength, repetition, and source credibility as mediators of uncertainty 97
- The role of subjective certainty in the epistemology of testimony 121
- Uncertainty in polar questions and certainty in answers? 135
- Lying as a scalar phenomenon 153
- Persuasion pragmatic strategies in L1/L2 Italian argument-ative speech 175
-
Dialogical exchange and speech acts
- What do I know as yet? 185
- On polar questions, negation, and the syntactic encoding of epistemicity 199
- Epistemic uncertainty and the syntax of speech acts 217
- Discursive functions of evidentials and epistemic modals 239
-
Onomasiology
- Vagueness, unspecificity, and approximation. Cognitive and lexical aspects in English, Swedish, and Italian 265
- Latin commitment-markers 285
- Italian come se “as if” 297
-
Applications in exegesis and religious discourse
- The communication of certainty/uncertainty within a Gospel passage (John 9:1-41) 327
- Rhetorics of (un)certainty in religious discourse 343
- Subject index 363
