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Catherine Z. Elgin
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True Enough (Mit Press) Hardcover – September 29, 2017

by Catherine Z. Elgin (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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The development of an epistemology that explains how science and art embody and convey understanding.

Philosophy valorizes truth, holding that there can never be epistemically good reasons to accept a known falsehood, or to accept modes of justification that are not truth conducive. How can this stance account for the epistemic standing of science, which unabashedly relies on models, idealizations, and thought experiments that are known not to be true? In True Enough, Catherine Elgin argues that we should not assume that the inaccuracy of models and idealizations constitutes an inadequacy. To the contrary, their divergence from truth or representational accuracy fosters their epistemic functioning. When effective, models and idealizations are, Elgin contends, felicitous falsehoods that exemplify features of the phenomena they bear on. Because works of art deploy the same sorts of felicitous falsehoods, she argues, they also advance understanding.

Elgin develops a holistic epistemology that focuses on the understanding of broad ranges of phenomena rather than knowledge of individual facts. Epistemic acceptability, she maintains, is a matter not of truth-conduciveness, but of what would be reflectively endorsed by the members of an idealized epistemic community—a quasi-Kantian realm of epistemic ends.

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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The MIT Press
  4. Publication date
    September 29, 2017
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0262036533
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0262036535
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Editorial Reviews

Review

An impressively wide-ranging, meticulously argued, thought-provoking book...Elgin's True Enough is a philosophical tour-de-force of incredible breadth.—British Journal for the Philosophy of Science—

Elgin's project will show that we get on just fine, intellectually as well as practically, by replacing truth and knowledge with “true enough” and understanding.

—Journal of Philosophy—

An original, fruitful blend of epistemology and philosophy of science...this is a wonderful book, written in an elegant and informal style, and replete with stimulating ideas on a wide range of subjects.

—Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews—

About the Author

Catherine Z. Elgin is Professor of the Philosophy of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the author of Considered Judgment, Between the Absolute and the Arbitrary, With Reference to Reference, and (with Nelson Goodman) Reconceptions in Philosophy and Other Arts and Sciences.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The MIT Press; 1st edition (September 29, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0262036533
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262036535
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.28 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

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Catherine Z. Elgin

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4.1 out of 5 stars
11 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Waldomiro José da Silva Filho
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This was perfect.
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  • Bronx Book Nerd
    5.0 out of 5 stars Why exact truth is not needed and how felicitous falsehoods serve epistemic goals
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2018
    Philosophy Professor Catherine Elgin makes the case that, although philosophy and other discipline claim to rest their ideas and believes on truth and fact, that ultimately many claims and assertions are based on what she calls “felicitous falsehoods”, or believes that are only “true enough.” According to Elgin, much of scientific findings would not hold up to the rigid standard of actual truth. Science makes a lot of claims and assertions based on models that are admittedly not 100 percent accurate. One of her primary examples is the formula for gas pressure, which is used with assumptions know not to be true. Elgin provides a lot of back up arguments to her assertion, including how disciplines enforce the proper use of felicitous falsehoods, with peer review, for example; and, how felicitous falsehoods facilitate understanding, which is a key epistemic goal. A quote that summarizes well Elgin’s project: “The aim of a model is to come up with a representation that affords an understanding of the phenomena, not one that replicates the phenomena.” There is lot more here related to epistemology that with which a curious reader would love to engage.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Maurizio D.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tutto ok
    Reviewed in Italy on March 17, 2019
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    Consegna puntuale e libro in ottimo stato.
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  • great reads
    5.0 out of 5 stars I'd recommend it to anyone interested in these topics
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is a fascinating account of the role of truth in science and epistemology. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in these topics.
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