Catarina Dutilh Novaes, VU Amsterdam
Title: Synthetic philosophy and the social epistemology of argumentation

Date: June 25th, Wednesday
Time: 16:45-18:15
Location: SE 2H, Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG/2. Stock)

Abstract:
A methodological orientation that has gained some traction within philosophy in recent years is so-called ‘synthetic philosophy’ (Schliesser 2024). It is characterized by extensive engagement with research in relevant (empirical and conceptual) disciplines to inform philosophical inquiry, and by the attempt to formulate unifying explanations for findings coming from different fields. Thus understood, I have myself been deploying the synthetic method for many years (Dutilh Novaes, 2012) (Dutilh Novaes, 2020), even if not using the term itself (which I adopted circa 2018). Other self-declared synthetic philosophers include Philip Kitcher (Kitcher 2012) and Neil Levy (Levy 2021).

In this talk, I will present and defend the synthetic philosophy orientation, illustrating it in particular by means of my research project on the social epistemology of argumentation in recent years. The foundational idea of this research, i.e., the ‘glue’ that allowed for synthesis, is a conceptualization of argumentation as a form of _epistemic exchange_. On the basis of this conceptualization, I engaged extensively with research on exchange in the social sciences (in particular sociology and anthropology) to inform my inquiry into the socio-epistemic mechanisms at play in argumentative processes, and in particular the role of power relations therein. The presentation will include a brief preview of my forthcoming monograph _Reason and Power in Argumentation_, which summarizes the main findings of the project.

We look forward to seeing you!

Best wishes,
The PACE/KiC organising team
https://pace.phl.univie.ac.at/
https://www.knowledgeincrisis.com/