Hinge Epistemology

In Hinge Epistemology, eminent epistemologists investigate Wittgenstein’s concept of basic certainty or ’hinge certainty’. The volume begins by examining the salient features of ’hinges’: Are they propositions that enjoy a special kind of non-evidential justification? Are they objects of knowledge or ways of acting mistaken for known propositions? Various attempts are then made to integrate hinges in the development of a viable epistemology: Can they shed light on the conditions of satisfaction for knowledge and justification? Do they offer a solution to scepticism? Finally, the application of hinges is explored in such areas as common knowledge and intellectual loyalty. The volume attests to the importance of hinge certainty and Wittgenstein’s On Certainty for mainstream epistemology.

Annalisa Coliva, PhD (2001) is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. Her publications include Moore and Wittgenstein. Scepticism, Certainty and Common Sense (Palgrave 2010), Extended Rationality. A Hinge Epistemology (Palgrave 2015), and The Varieties of Self-Knowledge (Palgrave 2016).

Danièle Moyal-Sharrock, Ph.D (2003) is Reader in Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire. Her publications include Understanding Wittgenstein’s On Certainty (Palgrave 2004), The Third Wittgenstein (Ashgate 2004), Readings of Wittgenstein’s On Certainty (Palgrave 2005), and Perspicuous Presentations (Palgrave 2007).