Sharing Knowledge
A Functionalist Account of Assertion

This book develops a novel account of assertion in terms of its function of sharing knowledge.

Christoph Kelp (Author), Mona Simion (Author)

9781316517130, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 November 2021

220 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

Assertion is the central vehicle for the sharing of knowledge. Whether knowledge is shared successfully often depends on the quality of assertions: good assertions lead to successful knowledge sharing, while bad ones don't. In Sharing Knowledge, Christoph Kelp and Mona Simion investigate the relation between knowledge sharing and assertion, and develop an account of what it is to assert well. More specifically, they argue that the function of assertion is to share knowledge with others. It is this function that supports a central norm of assertion according to which a good assertion is one that has the disposition to generate knowledge in others. The book uses this functionalist approach to motivate further norms of assertion on both the speaker and the hearer side and investigates ramifications of this view for other questions about assertion.

Introduction
Part I. KRA: The Knowledge Rule of Assertion: 1. The case for the KRA
2. Problems for KRA
3. KRA and sufficiency
Part II. FFAA: A function first account of assertion: 4. FFAA
5. FFAA and KRA
6. FFAA and the duty to believe
Part III. Knowledge and Language: 7. KRA and constitutivity
8. KRA and epistemic contextualism
Appendix A. The value of knowledge
Appendix B. JRA and knowledge first justification
Appendix C. Constitutivity in general
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Philosophy of science [PDA], Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge [HPK]