How to take seriously a person with extreme beliefs

Hosted by the Epistemic Injustice in Health Care (EPIC) Wellcome-funded research project which aims to identify and address epistemically unjust ways of conceiving of illness, treating ill persons and allocating healthcare.

To understand the subjectivity of a person with extreme beliefs, we need to take them seriously. Intuitively, taking another person seriously involves open-minded engagement. But in the case of extreme views such as The Great Replacement theory, open-mindedness not only seems unrealistic, but also irrational or even immoral. Although some opt for closed-minded engagement instead, I will argue that we need to move from open-mindedness to epistemic openness. Taking the other seriously involves dealing with how our own perspective distorts understanding the other, (i) in listening, (ii) in language, and (iii) in the context. I will extend my argument to the medical context and reflect on how to apply this to the relation between a physician and a patient suffering from mental illness. Such a patient may in some cases harbour extreme beliefs but in other cases have (radical) different experiences and perspective.

Zoom details: https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/93102158481?pwd=aCtKMkxKUkJFWHNRR1dyWlBVWUtPZz09, Meeting ID: 931 0215 8481, Passcode: 832089

Contact information

For any access needs please contact Charlotte Withers (cw1658@bristol.ac.uk), the EPIC project manager.