Identifying as X Flashcards
Kind
A category things can belong to
Natural kinds
Categories that reflect the structure of the natural world, independent of human interests (eg biological species)
Social kinds
Categories influenced by human interests and actions, though still real in some sense (eg race, gender, class)
Ontologically subjective
Related to the nature of the being and dependent on human attitudes and beliefs
Example - Joseph is not a goth because a “goth” is a human construct
Epistemically objective
Related to knowledge, with facts that can be objectively true or false regardless of individual opinions
Example - There is a fact about whether Joseph is or is not a Goth
Social Kinds like goths are…
Ontologically subjective but epistemically objective
Sex
A natural kind
Gender
A social kind
Epistemic grounds
Reasons for believing a claim is true
Ontological grounds
The fundamental reality that makes a claim true
Ontology
The study of being or what exists
Natural reality
Independent of human thought or action (eg the laws of physics)
Social reality
Exists because of collective human agreement (eg money, government)
Why is race considered a social kind rather than a natural kind?
Race reflects human created classifications based on physical traits and cultural/historical factors, making it a social construct
