In this wide-ranging collection of never before published essays, distinguished scholars in the fields of philosophy and economics examine such questions as whether testimony is a basic source of knowledge, the degree to which notions of a good argument are determined by speakers and their audiences, the role of individual biases in the development of science, and the social aspects of group belief and group justification. The collection ends with the first comprehensive bibliography of social epistemology.

Frederick F. Schmitt is professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and author of Knowledge and Belief (Routledge, 1992).

Chapter 1 Socializing Epistemology: An Introduction Through Two Sample Issues Chapter 2 Belief-Forming Practices and the Social Chapter 3 Egoism in Epistemology Chapter 4 Speaking of Ghosts Chapter 5 A Conservative Approach to Social Epistemology Chapter 6 Contrasting Conceptions of Social Epistemology Chapter 7 The Fate of Knowledge in Social Theories of Science Chapter 8 Good Arguments Chapter 9 Accuracy in Journalism: An Economic Approach Chapter 10 A More Social Epistemology Chapter 11 Remarks on Collective Belief Chapter 12 The Justification of Group Beliefs Chapter 13 Bibliography