Juli Thorson | Ball State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Juli Thorson

Teaching Philosophy, 2009

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00221349908978862, Aug 16, 2007

Teaching Philosophy, 2009

Metaphilosophy, 2003

Traditional epistemology has, in the main, presupposed that the primary task is to give a complet... more Traditional epistemology has, in the main, presupposed that the primary task is to give a complete account of the concept knowledge and to state under what conditions it is possible to have it. In so doing, most accounts have been hierarchical, and all assume an idealized knower. The assumption of an idealized knower is essential for the traditional goal of generating an unassailable account of knowledge acquisition. Yet we, as individuals, fail to reach the ideal. Perhaps more important, we have epistemic goals not addressed in the traditional approach -among them, the ability to reach understanding in areas we deem important for our lives. Understanding is an epistemic concept. But how we obtain it has not traditionally been a focus. Developing an epistemic account that starts from a set of assumptions that differ from the traditional starting points will allow a different sort of epistemic theory, one on which generating understanding is a central goal and the idealized knower is replaced with an inquirer who is not merely fallible but working from a particular context with particular goals. Insight into how an epistemic account can include the particular concerns of an embedded inquirer can be found by examining the parallels between ethics and epistemology and, in particular, by examining the structure and starting points of virtue accounts. Here I develop several interrelated issues that contrast the goals and evaluative concepts that form the structure of both standard, traditional epistemological and ethical theories and virtue-centered theories. In the end, I sketch a virtue-centered epistemology that accords with who we are and how we gain understanding.

Teaching Philosophy, 1994

Teaching of Psychology, 1996

... "Becky is foolhardy" or "Recky does not mind dying for a few dollars" may... more ... "Becky is foolhardy" or "Recky does not mind dying for a few dollars" may be as reasonable as "Recky is brave ... outcomes for college students, especially those who have relatively low verbal ability, low prior knowledge, and, to some extent, high spatial ahility (Dan-sereau, 15'94 ...

Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1999

Journal of Geography, 1999

... Juli T. Eflin is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Ball State University, ... more ... Juli T. Eflin is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Ball State University, Muncie, lndiana 47306 USA ... Convergent reasoning is an argument structure in which each premise independently gives some support for the conclusion.* John Stuart Mill set out inductive ...

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, 1999

Teaching Philosophy, 2009

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00221349908978862, Aug 16, 2007

Teaching Philosophy, 2009

Metaphilosophy, 2003

Traditional epistemology has, in the main, presupposed that the primary task is to give a complet... more Traditional epistemology has, in the main, presupposed that the primary task is to give a complete account of the concept knowledge and to state under what conditions it is possible to have it. In so doing, most accounts have been hierarchical, and all assume an idealized knower. The assumption of an idealized knower is essential for the traditional goal of generating an unassailable account of knowledge acquisition. Yet we, as individuals, fail to reach the ideal. Perhaps more important, we have epistemic goals not addressed in the traditional approach -among them, the ability to reach understanding in areas we deem important for our lives. Understanding is an epistemic concept. But how we obtain it has not traditionally been a focus. Developing an epistemic account that starts from a set of assumptions that differ from the traditional starting points will allow a different sort of epistemic theory, one on which generating understanding is a central goal and the idealized knower is replaced with an inquirer who is not merely fallible but working from a particular context with particular goals. Insight into how an epistemic account can include the particular concerns of an embedded inquirer can be found by examining the parallels between ethics and epistemology and, in particular, by examining the structure and starting points of virtue accounts. Here I develop several interrelated issues that contrast the goals and evaluative concepts that form the structure of both standard, traditional epistemological and ethical theories and virtue-centered theories. In the end, I sketch a virtue-centered epistemology that accords with who we are and how we gain understanding.

Teaching Philosophy, 1994

Teaching of Psychology, 1996

... "Becky is foolhardy" or "Recky does not mind dying for a few dollars" may... more ... "Becky is foolhardy" or "Recky does not mind dying for a few dollars" may be as reasonable as "Recky is brave ... outcomes for college students, especially those who have relatively low verbal ability, low prior knowledge, and, to some extent, high spatial ahility (Dan-sereau, 15'94 ...

Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1999

Journal of Geography, 1999

... Juli T. Eflin is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Ball State University, ... more ... Juli T. Eflin is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Ball State University, Muncie, lndiana 47306 USA ... Convergent reasoning is an argument structure in which each premise independently gives some support for the conclusion.* John Stuart Mill set out inductive ...

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, 1999