Incoherence in Epistemic Relativism

In “Epistemic Relativism,” Mark Kalderon defends a view that has become increasingly popular across various academic disciplines. He wrote his article in response to Paul Boghossian’s book Fear of Knowledge, in which epistemic relativism is criticized and dismissed as incoherent. Kalderon argues that Boghossian does not accurately characterize epistemic relativism resulting in a hasty dismissal of the view, and when properly characterized, epistemic relativism avoids any of the problems that Boghossian attributes to it. But, while Kalderon’s re characterization allows him to sidestep Boghossian’s criticisms, it introduces different but equally problematic considerations. And because of these, Kalderon’s relativism likewise dissolves into incoherence. The problem here, however, is not just trading one incoherent theory for another, but also the temptation to inappropriately dismiss Boghossian’s work. In this paper, I will present Boghossian’s characterization and criticism of epistemic relativism followed by Kalderon’s objections. Then I will demonstrate that Kalderon’s argument fails on two accounts: (1) it is incoherent to suggest that one begins with relativized particular judgments, and (2) relativizing epistemic justification to a social agreement presupposes some degree of objectivity. As a result of these flaws, Kalderon’s