Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Philosophy, Applied

This dissertation explores the intersection of epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. Specifically, it covers ground where these fields overlap in such a way that special interdisciplinary attention is required. Chapter I discusses the notion of epistemic harm within the epistemic injustice literature and argues that we should abandon the notion of epistemic harm in order to strengthen our notion of epistemic injustice. Chapter II continues to explore the intersection of epistemology and ethics and offers a refinement of the recent literature on epistemic trespassing, arguing that we need not limit our conception of epistemic trespassing to be a wrong perpetrated only by experts. Chapter III operates a broader level and argues for limitation on closed epistemic communities, that is, discursive communities who limit their membership in public fora. I argue that the meta level discourse on who is properly part of such groups cannot be constrained by what I call the Stay In You Lane (SIYL) Norm. Finally, in Chapter IV, using Chapter III as requiring engagement with trans-exclusionary feminism, I argue that traditional approaches to the question of trans policy, which attempt to resolve the question via an account of the metaphysics of gender, are misguided and that an ethics first approach yields a clear requirement for trans inclusive social policies.

Committee: Michael Weber Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Hrishikesh Joshi Ph.D. (Committee Member); Molly Grosscup Ph.D. (Committee Member); Angela Nelson Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Epistemology; Ethics; Gender; Philosophy