Normative Inference Tickets

Jen FOSTER; Jonathan ICHIKAWA

doi:10.1017/epi.2023.43

Normative Inference Tickets

Jen FOSTER, Jonathan ICHIKAWA^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We argue that stereotypes associated with concepts like he-said-she-said, conspiracy theory, sexual harassment, and those expressed by paradigmatic slurs provide "normative inference tickets": conceptual permissions to automatic, largely unreflective normative conclusions. These "mental shortcuts"are underwritten by associated stereotypes. Because stereotypes admit of exceptions, normative inference tickets are highly flexible and productive, but also liable to create serious epistemic and moral harms. Epistemically, many are unreliable, yielding false beliefs which resist counterexample; morally, many perpetuate bigotry and oppression. Still, some normative inference tickets, like some activated by sexual harassment, constitute genuine moral and hermeneutical advances. For example, our framework helps explain Miranda Fricker's notion of "hermeneutical lacunae": what early victims of "sexual harassment"- as well as their harassers - lacked before the term was coined was a communal normative inference ticket - one that could take us, collectively, from "this is happening"to "this is wrong."

Original language	English
Number of pages	27
Journal	Episteme
Early online date	22 Sept 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/epi.2023.43
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 22 Sept 2023
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

For helpful conversations about this material, we are grateful to Dominic Alford-Duguid, Fatema Amijee, Mike Barnes, Matt Bedke, Sasha Blickhan, Annie Bosse, Taylor Brice Coles, Liam Kofi Bright, T. J. Broy, Matthew Cull, Michelle Dyke, Nikki Ernst, Cam Gilbert, Lewis Gordon, Bruno Guindon, Rebecca Harrison, Samia Hesni, Avram Hiller, A. G. Holdier, Catherine Hundleby, Ahmad Jabbar, Carrie Jenkins, Daniel Kaplan, Anna Klieber, Quill Kukla, Mira Kuroyadov, Lauren Leydon-Hardy, William Lycan, Michael Lynch, Hane Maung, Eric Margolis, Sally McConnell-Ginet, Katie Monk, George Grun, Aidan McGlynn, Chris Mole, Devin Morse, Dan Pallies, Sumeet Patwardhan, Cat Prueitt, Greg Restall, Chelsea Rosenthal, Charlotte Sabourin, Henry Schiller, Mark Schroeder, Julian Schlöder, Chris Stephens, Taylor Tate, Lynne Tirrell, Adriel Trott, Kelsey Vicars, Alnica Visser, Nevina Warsito, Emilia Wilson, Audrey Yap, Seunghyun Angela Yeo, and an anonymous referee. We presented a draft of this material at a UBC/SFU work in progress seminar and a Words Workshop meeting in 2021, and a University of Connecticut Colloquium presentation and the APA Eastern and Central in 2022; thanks to the audiences there. Thanks also to the editors of the American Philosophical Association blog, who invited us to share some of the ideas in this paper in a June 2021 post there. Many of the ideas in this paper were also workshopped via Philosophy Twitter, whom we also thank.

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Funding

Work on this paper was funded in part by an SSHRC Insight Grant on positive epistemic norms.

Keywords

concepts
conspiracy theory
he-said-she-said
hermeneutical injustice
inference
rape culture
sexual harassment
slurs
stereotypes

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10.1017/epi.2023.43Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Normative Inference Tickets",

abstract = "We argue that stereotypes associated with concepts like he-said-she-said, conspiracy theory, sexual harassment, and those expressed by paradigmatic slurs provide {"}normative inference tickets{"}: conceptual permissions to automatic, largely unreflective normative conclusions. These {"}mental shortcuts{"}are underwritten by associated stereotypes. Because stereotypes admit of exceptions, normative inference tickets are highly flexible and productive, but also liable to create serious epistemic and moral harms. Epistemically, many are unreliable, yielding false beliefs which resist counterexample; morally, many perpetuate bigotry and oppression. Still, some normative inference tickets, like some activated by sexual harassment, constitute genuine moral and hermeneutical advances. For example, our framework helps explain Miranda Fricker's notion of {"}hermeneutical lacunae{"}: what early victims of {"}sexual harassment{"}- as well as their harassers - lacked before the term was coined was a communal normative inference ticket - one that could take us, collectively, from {"}this is happening{"}to {"}this is wrong.{"}",

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author = "Jen FOSTER and Jonathan ICHIKAWA",

note = "For helpful conversations about this material, we are grateful to Dominic Alford-Duguid, Fatema Amijee, Mike Barnes, Matt Bedke, Sasha Blickhan, Annie Bosse, Taylor Brice Coles, Liam Kofi Bright, T. J. Broy, Matthew Cull, Michelle Dyke, Nikki Ernst, Cam Gilbert, Lewis Gordon, Bruno Guindon, Rebecca Harrison, Samia Hesni, Avram Hiller, A. G. Holdier, Catherine Hundleby, Ahmad Jabbar, Carrie Jenkins, Daniel Kaplan, Anna Klieber, Quill Kukla, Mira Kuroyadov, Lauren Leydon-Hardy, William Lycan, Michael Lynch, Hane Maung, Eric Margolis, Sally McConnell-Ginet, Katie Monk, George Grun, Aidan McGlynn, Chris Mole, Devin Morse, Dan Pallies, Sumeet Patwardhan, Cat Prueitt, Greg Restall, Chelsea Rosenthal, Charlotte Sabourin, Henry Schiller, Mark Schroeder, Julian Schl{\"o}der, Chris Stephens, Taylor Tate, Lynne Tirrell, Adriel Trott, Kelsey Vicars, Alnica Visser, Nevina Warsito, Emilia Wilson, Audrey Yap, Seunghyun Angela Yeo, and an anonymous referee. We presented a draft of this material at a UBC/SFU work in progress seminar and a Words Workshop meeting in 2021, and a University of Connecticut Colloquium presentation and the APA Eastern and Central in 2022; thanks to the audiences there. Thanks also to the editors of the American Philosophical Association blog, who invited us to share some of the ideas in this paper in a June 2021 post there. Many of the ideas in this paper were also workshopped via Philosophy Twitter, whom we also thank. Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press.",

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AU - ICHIKAWA, Jonathan

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Y1 - 2023/9/22

N2 - We argue that stereotypes associated with concepts like he-said-she-said, conspiracy theory, sexual harassment, and those expressed by paradigmatic slurs provide "normative inference tickets": conceptual permissions to automatic, largely unreflective normative conclusions. These "mental shortcuts"are underwritten by associated stereotypes. Because stereotypes admit of exceptions, normative inference tickets are highly flexible and productive, but also liable to create serious epistemic and moral harms. Epistemically, many are unreliable, yielding false beliefs which resist counterexample; morally, many perpetuate bigotry and oppression. Still, some normative inference tickets, like some activated by sexual harassment, constitute genuine moral and hermeneutical advances. For example, our framework helps explain Miranda Fricker's notion of "hermeneutical lacunae": what early victims of "sexual harassment"- as well as their harassers - lacked before the term was coined was a communal normative inference ticket - one that could take us, collectively, from "this is happening"to "this is wrong."

AB - We argue that stereotypes associated with concepts like he-said-she-said, conspiracy theory, sexual harassment, and those expressed by paradigmatic slurs provide "normative inference tickets": conceptual permissions to automatic, largely unreflective normative conclusions. These "mental shortcuts"are underwritten by associated stereotypes. Because stereotypes admit of exceptions, normative inference tickets are highly flexible and productive, but also liable to create serious epistemic and moral harms. Epistemically, many are unreliable, yielding false beliefs which resist counterexample; morally, many perpetuate bigotry and oppression. Still, some normative inference tickets, like some activated by sexual harassment, constitute genuine moral and hermeneutical advances. For example, our framework helps explain Miranda Fricker's notion of "hermeneutical lacunae": what early victims of "sexual harassment"- as well as their harassers - lacked before the term was coined was a communal normative inference ticket - one that could take us, collectively, from "this is happening"to "this is wrong."

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KW - he-said-she-said

KW - hermeneutical injustice

KW - inference

KW - rape culture

KW - sexual harassment

KW - slurs

KW - stereotypes

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U2 - 10.1017/epi.2023.43

DO - 10.1017/epi.2023.43

M3 - Journal Article (refereed)

AN - SCOPUS:85173825284

SN - 1742-3600

JO - Episteme

JF - Episteme

ER -

Normative Inference Tickets

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

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