Abstract

In recent decades, perspectivism has developed into an independent epistemological research program. Perspectivism is based on the idea that a perspective, as an attempt to get insight into an object, depends on a multitude of factors. Perspectivists are concerned with reconstructing and explaining these factors as well as identifying the conditions of epistemic acts using such concepts as “position” / “point of view,” “view,” “angle,” “horizon,” “focus,” “picture,” “relativity,” and “context”. Although these concepts are part of the perspectivist’s toolkit, their content and interrelationship have not yet been critically and comprehensively analyzed. The article aims to clarify the conceptual basis of perspectivism as an epistemological program, building on previous efforts of F. Kaulbach (1990) and W. Stegmaier (2008). It will conduct a systematic conceptual analysis and present the logical content of perspectivist notions, integrating them into a single coherent model to serve as perspectivism’s conceptual foundation. Perspectivist concepts form a “population” or matrix of the concept “epistemic situation”. When coherently articulated and organized within a conceptual model, they can serve as a tool for nuanced analysis of epistemic situations and their outcomes (theories, positions, views, etc.). The article’s final section will highlight significant implications of this new, programmatic understanding of perspectivism: the status of perspectivist concepts, how perspectivism distinguishes itself from related epistemological programs, and challenges for its continued development.