International Journal of Feminist Approaches To Bioethics, Mar 1, 2014
Research ethics has typically been shaped by a conception of science as intrinsically ethics-free... more Research ethics has typically been shaped by a conception of science as intrinsically ethics-free. I argue, instead, for a conception of research ethics grounded in an ethics of epistemology, specifically for a norm of epistemic sustainability: research methods and practices that cultivate, rather than undermine, the ground on which especially less privileged others can successfully pursue knowledge, meeting their epistemic needs as they define them. I further argue that objects of knowledge are constituted relationally and are knowable through the relationships in which they are embedded, and that taking vulnerability as an epistemic standpoint can help to ground sustainable inquiry.
Scheman discusses the history of analytic philosophy in America juxtaposing Cora Diamond’s Wittge... more Scheman discusses the history of analytic philosophy in America juxtaposing Cora Diamond’s Wittgensteinian critique of metaphysics (or of philosophical “requirements”) with Nancy Fraser’s use of Habermas and Foucault to develop a discourse of needs. Examining the of problems of philosophy from historical context in the analytic tradition in post–World War II America, Scheman critically examines Cornel West’s interpretation of American pragmatism as a resolute evasion of moral and political engagement, arguing that analytic philosophy did answer to particular cultural needs given the politics of that time. She then shows how arguments over the mind-independence of reality, the transcendence of moral standards, and the idea of privileged access may, despite their history, form a crucial and indeed inevitable part of a politically aware, morally engaged conception of philosophy, as useful for the disenfranchised as for those who benefit from the current arrangements of society.
Recent writing by Jewish lesbians is characterized BY challenging and evocative reflection on the... more Recent writing by Jewish lesbians is characterized BY challenging and evocative reflection on themes of home and identity, family and choice, tradition and transfor’ mation. This essay is a personal journey through some of this writing. An exploration of the obvious and troubling tensions between lesbian or feminist and Jewish identities leads to the paradoxical but ultimately unsurprising suggestion that lesbian identity and eroticism can provide a route of return to and affirmation of Jewish identity.
A minimal criterion for scientists' successful communication with lay publics is that it not... more A minimal criterion for scientists' successful communication with lay publics is that it not be irrational for members of those publics to take scientists' claims to be credible. The importance of scientific method lies in its promise that those who comply with it will arrive at identical, or ...
International Journal of Feminist Approaches To Bioethics, Mar 1, 2014
Research ethics has typically been shaped by a conception of science as intrinsically ethics-free... more Research ethics has typically been shaped by a conception of science as intrinsically ethics-free. I argue, instead, for a conception of research ethics grounded in an ethics of epistemology, specifically for a norm of epistemic sustainability: research methods and practices that cultivate, rather than undermine, the ground on which especially less privileged others can successfully pursue knowledge, meeting their epistemic needs as they define them. I further argue that objects of knowledge are constituted relationally and are knowable through the relationships in which they are embedded, and that taking vulnerability as an epistemic standpoint can help to ground sustainable inquiry.
Scheman discusses the history of analytic philosophy in America juxtaposing Cora Diamond’s Wittge... more Scheman discusses the history of analytic philosophy in America juxtaposing Cora Diamond’s Wittgensteinian critique of metaphysics (or of philosophical “requirements”) with Nancy Fraser’s use of Habermas and Foucault to develop a discourse of needs. Examining the of problems of philosophy from historical context in the analytic tradition in post–World War II America, Scheman critically examines Cornel West’s interpretation of American pragmatism as a resolute evasion of moral and political engagement, arguing that analytic philosophy did answer to particular cultural needs given the politics of that time. She then shows how arguments over the mind-independence of reality, the transcendence of moral standards, and the idea of privileged access may, despite their history, form a crucial and indeed inevitable part of a politically aware, morally engaged conception of philosophy, as useful for the disenfranchised as for those who benefit from the current arrangements of society.
Recent writing by Jewish lesbians is characterized BY challenging and evocative reflection on the... more Recent writing by Jewish lesbians is characterized BY challenging and evocative reflection on themes of home and identity, family and choice, tradition and transfor’ mation. This essay is a personal journey through some of this writing. An exploration of the obvious and troubling tensions between lesbian or feminist and Jewish identities leads to the paradoxical but ultimately unsurprising suggestion that lesbian identity and eroticism can provide a route of return to and affirmation of Jewish identity.
A minimal criterion for scientists' successful communication with lay publics is that it not... more A minimal criterion for scientists' successful communication with lay publics is that it not be irrational for members of those publics to take scientists' claims to be credible. The importance of scientific method lies in its promise that those who comply with it will arrive at identical, or ...
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Papers by Naomi Scheman