Necessary Error

This chapter argues that Josiah Royce's concept of error can be a fruitful addition to contemporary accounts of feminist epistemology. In particular, it contends that Royce's concept of error can illuminate the problems that arise when multiple individuals who have different forms of epistemic privilege give conflicting accounts of an incident. Moreover, this chapter claims that Royce's account of communal inquiry provides us with a potential basis for developing error sensitivity within communities. In order to illustrate these claims, this chapter draws upon the work of Sandra Harding, Patricia Hill Collins, and other feminist theorists to highlight how epistemologically privileged accounts can come into conflict in addition examining how Royce's account of error develops through The Religious Aspect of Philosophy, The Problem of Christianity, and “Error and Truth.”