Teaching

Courses:

Autumn Semester 2026 Seminar “Limits of Knowing: Political epistemology and ethics”, at the philosophy department, University of Basel.
Course design and course coordinator.

Course description:
During this seminar, we will discuss what knowledge is, what conditions constrain knowledge, and what the ethical implications of knowledge constraints are. There can be both theoretical and practical constraints on knowledge. Namely, some facts are structurally unknowable, such as, the position and speed of a particle, or what it is like to be born. And some beings may not be epistemic agents who can undergo inquiry and reach a kind of epistemic success (e.g. such as true belief or knowledge). For instance, we do not reasonably expect children or nonhuman animals to undergo epistemic inquiry. Alternatively, practical reasons constrain what knowledge we can produce, disseminate or learn through education. For instance, we face moral doubt in a world with conflicting moral viewpoints, certain social groups face silencing, epistemic bubbles create biased groups, states may censure certain kinds of knowledge production, dissemination and education (e.g. political censorship or state secrets), and perhaps, voters and/or officeholders in political institutions may not be epistemically competent, epistemic authorities, or epistemically virtuous. In order, we will discuss individual-, group-, and state-level constraints on knowledge.   

Autumn Semester 2023 Seminar “The Epistemology and Ethics of Ignorance” at the philosophy department, University of Basel. 
Course design and course coordinator.  

Course description:
Epistemology is traditionally concerned with the study of knowledge and justified belief. Ignorance, as the seeming opposite of knowledge, has received increasing attention in epistemic and ethical debates. During this course, we will discuss the epistemic dimensions of ignorance and its moral implications. The first part of the course will cover epistemological questions about the nature of ignorance—what it is to be ignorant. How do we define ignorance, does it come in degrees, can groups be ignorant and so on. In the second part of this course, we take various perspectives on the epistemic dimensions of ignorance and apply them to crucial philosophical themes. For instance, which epistemic obligations do we have, and when should we have known? Does ignorance pose a moral excuse for wrongdoings? What role do social processes play in the distribution of knowledge and ignorance about moral norms? What role does ignorance play in social injustices? How can we overcome ignorance and prevent its implications for moral progress? 

Invited Lecture:

Autumn Semester 2022 Thematisches Tutorat: Zählen Tiere moralisch (nicht)? / Do Animals Count Morally?, at the University of Zürich.