Explanatory Obligations. (September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Khalifa, Kareem; Millson, Jared
• Is Part Of: Episteme. Volume 17:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 384
• Page End: 401
• Publication Date: 2020-09
• Subjects: Explanation, -- need for explanation, -- why-questions, -- role-responsibilities, -- social norms; Social epistemology -- Periodicals; 121
• DOI: 10.1017/epi.2019.55
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-3600

Abstract

Abstract: In this paper, we argue that a person is obligated to explain why p just in case she has a role-responsibility to answer the question "Why p ?". This entails that the normative force of explanatory obligations is fundamentally social. We contrast our view with other accounts of explanatory obligations or the so-called "need for explanation, " in which the aforementioned normative force is epistemic, determined by an inquirer's interests, or a combination thereof. We argue that our account outperforms these alternatives.