Epistemic reparation and the duty of victims

Abstract When someone experiences an epistemic wrong, all else being equal, we ought to rectify the wrong. This intuition underpins the increasing interest in epistemic reparation. Epistemic reparations are intentional actions that provide epistemic goods to those who have been wronged, aimed at addressing acknowledged epistemic wrongs. While it is accepted that perpetrators have a duty to offer epistemic reparation, I argue here that the victims possess an imperfect duty to remember and recount their stories, with significant discretion. This duty is not grounded on the reparations owed to them. It is based on broader epistemic obligations, such as the duty to utilise their epistemic advantage to promote justice, etc. Arguing for this point trains our attention on the victims and their various expressions of epistemic agency under conditions of oppression.

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Publication Details

Journal
Philosophical Studies
Published
2025-10-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-025-02422-9
Primary Topic
Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Epistemic reparation and the duty of victims

Abraham Tobi
Philosophical Studies
Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies
article

Epistemic reparation and the duty of victims

Abraham Tobi
article en

Abstract

Abstract When someone experiences an epistemic wrong, all else being equal, we ought to rectify the wrong. This intuition underpins the increasing interest in epistemic reparation. Epistemic reparations are intentional actions that provide epistemic goods to those who have been wronged, aimed at addressing acknowledged epistemic wrongs. While it is accepted that perpetrators have a duty to offer epistemic reparation, I argue here that the victims possess an imperfect duty to remember and recount their stories, with significant discretion. This duty is not grounded on the reparations owed to them. It is based on broader epistemic obligations, such as the duty to utilise their epistemic advantage to promote justice, etc. Arguing for this point trains our attention on the victims and their various expressions of epistemic agency under conditions of oppression.

Philosophical Studies
Public Health Agency of Canada (CA), University of Johannesburg (ZA), Université de Montréal (CA)
University of Johannesburg
Openalex Percentile: Top 64%
Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies
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