Book contents
- What Are the Humanities For?
- What Are the Humanities For?
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Canine, Alien, and Human Humanities
- Part I What Are the Humanities?
- 1 The Humanities
- 2 Understanding Others
- 3 Self-involving
- 4 Responsible Scholarship
- Part II Who Needs the Humanities?
- Selected Literature
- Index
4 - Responsible Scholarship
from Part I - What Are the Humanities?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2021
- What Are the Humanities For?
- What Are the Humanities For?
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Canine, Alien, and Human Humanities
- Part I What Are the Humanities?
- 1 The Humanities
- 2 Understanding Others
- 3 Self-involving
- 4 Responsible Scholarship
- Part II Who Needs the Humanities?
- Selected Literature
- Index
Summary
We need objective knowledge, or at least, knowledge that is as reliable as possible, given human fallibility and gullibility. We ought to pursue such knowledge, as ideas and claims may inspire and inform actions, and thus their truth matters morally. But a scholar is human, with personal preferences, values, and biases. How to be a responsible scholar? As we seek to avoid bias due to personal preferences, the question becomes what kind of neutrality might be appropriate in the humanities. To what extent can we expect a scholar in the humanities to deliver knowledge that is value-free, or rather, knowledge that is guided by knowledge-promoting values? Concerns about bias arise in the humanities with force because those who are the object of studies, may claim their say on how they are portrayed. When knowledge is considered offensive, they might feel that they deserve more respect than a particular scholar has given them. How to deal with the personal dimension of research?
- Type
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- Information
- What Are the Humanities For? , pp. 94 - 120Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021