Inquiry & the value of knowledge

Abstract How does the value of knowledge enrich our understanding of the epistemic norms for inquiry? I argue that when we appreciate knowledge’s value, we’ll anticipate important normative roles for knowledge that extend from assertion to the closure of inquiry. In light of these considerations, I argue that we should accept the Ignorance Norm of Inquiry (INI), which prohibits inquiring about the answer to a question while at the same time knowing the answer to that question. Moreover, when we understand the value of knowledge, we are left with important defensive resources that enable us to rebut challenges to INI that have recently been proposed.