

Ofra Magidor on Epistemicism and Moral Vagueness
32 snips Jan 9, 2025
Ofra Magidor, an Oxford philosopher specializing in epistemicism and moral vagueness, dives deep into the intriguing complexities of moral reasoning. She discusses how vagueness in language impacts our understanding of morality, particularly with contentious issues like abortion. Magidor challenges the idea of definitive moral boundaries, highlighting the role of context and cultural differences. She also touches upon how varying interpretations of permissibility reveal the intricate nature of moral truths in our diverse communities.
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Vagueness in Language
- Vagueness in language is exemplified by the word "tall".
- Borderline cases exist where height doesn't clearly define tallness, lacking definitive criteria.
Epistemicism and Vagueness
- Epistemicism suggests vague words have sharp cutoffs, but we're ignorant of them.
- This view maintains classical logic, despite vagueness's challenge to it.
Vagueness as Ignorance
- Epistemicism defines vagueness as a specific type of ignorance.
- We are fundamentally unable to know the precise cutoff points of vague terms.