What's the Point of Knowledge?: A Function-First Epistemology

This book is about knowledge and its value. At its heart is a straightforward idea: we can answer many interesting and difficult questions in epistemology by reflecting on the role of epistemic evaluation in human life. 

To Hannon, the concept of knowledge is used to identify reliable informants; this practice is necessary, or at least deeply important, because it plays a vital role in human survival, cooperation, and flourishing.

This book casts new light on the very nature and value of knowledge, the differences between knowledge and understanding, and the relationship between knowledge, assertion, and practical reasoning. It also forges new paths into some classic philosophical puzzles, including the Gettier problem, epistemic relativism, and philosophical skepticism. 

Michael Hannon is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. After receiving his PhD from the University of Cambridge, he served as Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London. His research in epistemology covers topics such as skepticism, fallibilism, the value of knowledge, and the role of truth in politics. He founded the Political Epistemology Network and holds a British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award for his project on political epistemology.