Turning Our Backs: Epistemic Reasons for Disengaging From Academics Due to Moral Transgressions?

• DOI: 10.1017/epi.2025.16
• Publication Date: 2025-03-28T13:03:27Z
• Authors: Lisa Bastian

Abstract Recent years have seen many cases where the moral transgressions of public figures led to widespread disengagement from their work, such as no longer watching shows or reading books. In academic context, this can manifest not inviting an speak, citing teaching even ending professional relationships. This paper aims explore question whether there could be purely epistemic reasons that underwrite practices disengagement; bracketing social, moral, political concerns. doing so, it addresses a common criticism: academic’s transgression need give us doubt quality making disengaging unjustified. The main part investigates criticism countered by viewing defeater. After dismissing option undercutting defeat, proposes template argument for when disengaging, namely if takes place in areas motivates also functions higher order