The Virtues (and Vices) of Contrarianism

Abstract

We offer a theory of contrarians such as Socrates, Martin Luther, and Thoreau, and explain how contrarianism can function as an epistemic virtue. On our view, contrarians don’t just dissent from orthodoxy, but from a specific ingroup, and in a specific domain. Contrarians must also have some independent perspective that animates their dissent rather than parroting others, and they must express their dissent publicly, which will often produce alienation or reprisals. Finally, contrarianism isn’t bloodless inquiry; contrarians are animated by contempt for conformism and herd-behavior. The virtues of contrarianism include the ability to disrupt epistemic bubbles and echo-chambers that have formed among our ingroup, and contributing an adversarial element to our social epistemology, familiar from the legal system. But our account also has the resources to explain how contrarianism can spill over into a vice, since it is a trait like kindness or skepticism that requires judicious application.