Ethnoontology: Ways of world‐building across cultures

Philosophy Compass (9):1-11 (2019)
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Abstract

This article outlines a program of ethnoontology that brings together empirical research in the ethnosciences with ontological debates in philosophy. First, we survey empirical evidence from heterogeneous cultural contexts and disciplines. Second, we propose a model of cross‐cultural relations between ontologies beyond a simple divide between universalist and relativist models. Third, we argue for an integrative model of ontology building that synthesizes insights from different fields such as biological taxonomy, cognitive science, cultural anthropology, and political ecology. We conclude by arguing that a program of ethnoontology provides philosophers both with insights about traditional issues such as debates about natural kinds and with novel strategies for connecting philosophy with pressing global issues such as the conservation of local environments and the self‐determination of Indigenous communities.

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Author Profiles

Daniel Weiskopf
Georgia State University
David Ludwig
Wageningen University and Research

Citations of this work

Kinmaking, Progeneration, and Ethnography.Robert A. Wilson - 2022 - Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science 91 (C):77-85.
Continuing After Species: An Afterword.Robert A. Wilson - 2022 - In John S. Wilkins, Igor Pavlinov & Frank Zachos (eds.), Species Problems and Beyond: Contemporary Issues in Philosophy and Practice. New York: Routledge. pp. 343-353.
Scientific Pluralism.Ludwig David & Ruphy Stéphanie - 2021 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Representing and coordinating ethnobiological knowledge.Daniel A. Weiskopf - 2020 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 84 (C):101328.

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References found in this work

Radical interpretation.Donald Davidson - 1973 - Dialectica 27 (1):314-328.
Natural Kindness.Matthew H. Slater - 2015 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 66 (2):375-411.
Radical Interpretation.Donald Davidson - 1973 - Dialectica 27 (3-4):313-328.
Natural kinds as categorical bottlenecks.Laura Franklin-Hall - 2015 - Philosophical Studies 172 (4):925-948.

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