Jason Stanley's 2005 book on epistemology argued that practical political and moral interests impact the search for knowledge.
Posted by Robinson's Podcast, Checked
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- 4 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
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Robinson's PodcastSep 23, 2026
The 2005 book Knowledge and Practical Interests by Jason Stanley is confirmed by multiple sources (Oxford Academic, Philopedia, Google Books) as arguing that whether a true belief counts as knowledge is partly determined by practical interests, i.e., what is at stake for the person, which matches the claim's core assertion that practical interests impact the search for knowledge.
What was said
… So that's what that work is about. So, you know, when you ask when people sometimes ask me, when you ask, how did you move from this highly theoretical domain to this more practical domain? Well, my 2005 book, my first book, which was in epistemology, was arguing that these domains are not separate. Jason, I'm glad that we've gotten to really run the gamut on propaganda. There are so many more things I'd love to discuss with you another time, like really getting into the fascism debate and talking about what's going on in the rest of the world beyond …
Robinson's Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Oxford Academic's preface states the book's thesis is that what makes a true belief a case of knowledge is partly determined by facts from the domain of practical rationality.[1]
Supports. Google Books description says Stanley argues whether someone knows a proposition is in part determined by his or her practical interests, i.e., how much is at stake for that person.[2]
Supports. Philopedia lists the 2005 Oxford University Press publication and quotes Stanley that practical interests shape epistemic standards.[3]
Supports. Stanley's CV confirms Knowledge and Practical Interests (Oxford University Press, 2005) as his book and notes it won the 2007 APA Book Prize.[4]
Context. The book is described as Stanley's first book in the post's own words, and the publication record confirms a 2005 epistemology book; the post's wording that the domains 'are not separate' matches the book's thesis of intertwined practical and theoretical rationality.[2][5]
Sources
5 sources: 5 not rated
- 1Preface | Knowledge and Practical Interests - Oxford Academicacademic.oup.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 2Knowledge and Practical Interests - Jason Stanleybooks.google.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 3Jason Aaron Stanley | Philopediaphilopedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Jason Stanleyjasonstanley.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Knowledge and Practical Interestsresearch-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Jason Stanley published a book in formal semantics and philosophy of language in 2023.True
- Jason Stanley published a 500-page book and a 350-page book on propaganda and philosophy of language while working as a public intellectual.True
- Jason Stanley's book How Propaganda Works was published in 2015.True
- Jason Stanley and David Beaver spent eight years writing the book The Politics of Language.True
- Jason Stanley moved from Yale University to the University of Toronto in 2025.True