Philosophy Bites

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.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

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.
INSIGHT

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.
INSIGHT

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.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app