Establishing Credibility of Literary Fiction in Social Epistemology

Literary fiction is typically denied epistemic credibility in analytic philosophy. However, the Social Turn in this tradition, particularly social epistemology’s focus on how knowledge is produced and transmitted within a society, paved the way for a new context in which traditional views on the epistemic status of fiction can be reassessed. In this article I examine the dominant objections of philosophy that prevent fiction from being recognized as a source of knowledge, and then I analyze how the evolution of knowledge challenges these objections. Finally, after exploring the link between literary fiction and the key concepts of social epistemology, I propose specific conditions under which literary fiction possesses social epistemological credibility. Analytic philosophy often employs narrative techniques in thought experiments, such as Mary’s Room or the Chinese Room; many important works of social epistemology, such as “Epistemic Injustice”, refer to famous 20th-century novels to illustrate their philosophical arguments. However, literary fiction is itself a powerful epistemic agent, not a mere illustrative tool. If social epistemology defines knowledge as not an isolated, purely rational phenomenon but a product of social interactions, then literary fiction, in its capacity to reflect collective understanding and challenge dominant epistemic paradigms, must be recognized as an active participant in knowledge production. The aim of this article is to take literary fiction beyond mere illustration of philosophical arguments and legitimize it as a necessary source of knowledge, essential for advancing philosophical inquiry.