Jan Willem Wieland: The Duty of Inquiry

Lecture by Jan Willem Wieland (VU Amsterdam) organized by the Department of Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy.

Many philosophers acknowledge that we have a duty to pay attention to the world around us. As Rosen (2003) puts it: “We are under an array of standing obligations to inform ourselves about matters relevant to the moral permissibility of our conduct: to look around, to reflect, to seek advice, and so on.” Why do we have this duty? Why follow the headlines, think harder, ask questions, look more carefully, and so on? And what do we say to someone who doesn't see that she is bound by this duty?

An argument that emerges...(read more...)