Epistemic Courage

Epistemic Courage is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of the ethics of belief. Drawing on a wide range of examples, from conspiracy theories to medical misinformation, Ichikawa shows why epistemology is no mere academic abstraction - the question of what to believe couldn’t be more urgent. And, he argues, many mainstream ideas about what to believe - those emphasizing the importance of ensuring that one doesn’t believe with insufficient evidence - are incomplete and distorting in important and harmful ways. A skeptical, negative bias about belief is connected to a conservative bias that reinforces the status quo. Throughout the book, Ichikawa argues that we need to shift our focus from avoiding false beliefs to actively seeking out true ones. Throughout the book, Ichikawa uses engaging and timely examples to illustrate his points. He tackles important questions, such as how moral considerations interact with evidential ones in deciding what to believe, and how to navigate the complex ethical issues around testimony, rape culture, and epistemic injustice. Accessible and rigorous, Epistemic Courage invites readers to consider the importance of belief, and how it shapes our lives and the world around us. With its insightful analysis and compelling case studies, this book is an essential read for philosophers and anyone else interested in belief, social justice, and the pursuit of truth.

Jonathan Ichikawa, Professor, Philosophy, University of British Columbia

Jonathan Ichikawa is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Ichikawa has published extensively in epistemology, ethics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and feminist philosophy. He is the co-author of The Rules of Thought (2013) and the author of Contextualizing Knowledge (2017). He received his PhD in philosophy from Rutgers University in 2008, and his MA from Brown University in 2005. Dr. Ichikawa also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. His research interests include the nature of knowledge, consent and rape culture, and the ethics of belief.