Amelioration on What Grounds? An Analysis of Sally Haslanger’s Normative Sources

Throughout her work, Sally Haslanger’s numerous normative demands are mostly claimed without being explicitly argued for. How, then, can they at all be justified? One can consider some forms of justification: Reason, in shape of epistemic normativity alone, seems insufficient to carry all of her demands; supplementary, some kind of social justice seems at work as well. Both sources come across as intertwined, especially in public discourse. This becomes obvious by highlighting the complementary ideals of the free autonomous agent on the one hand, and the well-organized knowledge community, on the other. Both are epistemically relevant and irreducible: It comes down to the instrumental utility of certain values and rules that are helpful in gaining epistemic access to otherwise inaccessible perspectives. Thus, reason and social justice reveal themselves to be the main forces behind most of Haslanger’s demands—ultimately driven by the overarching quest for epistemic success.