Knowledge and Understanding in Analytic Philosophy

Helen Beebee (University of Manchester, University of Leeds)

Grant that pervasive and persistent peer disagreement undermines justification. If so, then — individually and collectively — we have very little philosophical knowledge, and the prospects for any radical turnaround in our epistemic fortunes don’t look good. And yet we have made a fair bit of progress over the last two and a half thousand years. So what might our goal be, if we have indeed been making good progress and therefore should not think that our goal is knowledge? I claim that it’s understanding — but of a radically non-factive kind.