It’s the latest dance, the best in town: / Grab a word like “epistemic”, then add a noun / Like “angst” or “insouciance” or “indulgence” or “greed” / If you want a paper topic that’s all you need! 

Brown University philosophers Nomy Arpaly, Jamie Dreier, and David Estlund wrote new lyrics to the tune of “Mambo No. 5” (the Lou Bega version), turning it into a song—“Epistemic Epidemic”—about the popularity of epistemic topics in philosophy.

Here’s their performance (lyrics are below):

“Epistemic Epidemic” lyrics (by Arpaly, Dreier, and Estlund):

1.
Point 1, point 2, point 3, point 4
Everybody grab a credence, then grab some more
Point 5, point 6, point 7, wait!
Man you’re crazy if you think that you can hit .8!

2.
It’s the latest dance, the best in town:
Grab a word like “epistemic”, then add a noun 
Like “angst” or “insouciance” or “indulgence” or “greed”
If you want a paper topic that’s all you need!

CHORUS (all 3 sing)
Epistemic trespass on my lawn, 
some epistemic charity, bring it on!
Injustice epistemic 123,
don’t give me your polemic: not for me!

Epistemic duties, off my back
Epistemic peers, gone off the track
Epistemic deference? outta town!
Epistemic democrats, vote em down!

3.
Forget old virtue, vice and blame 
Every word remotely ethics-like is now fair game 
If “duty” doesn’t really seem to hit the spot 
Epistemic consequentialism’s also hot”

4.
Epistemic disrespect or were you just teasin’?
Epistemic rationality and epistemic reason
If you think this construction is epistemic fine
Then you must be out of your epistemic mind!

CHORUS (all 3 sing)
Epistemic trespass on my lawn, 
some epistemic charity, bring it on!
Injustice epistemic 123,
don’t give me your polemic: not for me!

Epistemic duties, off my back
Epistemic peers, gone off the track
Epistemic deference? outta town!
Epistemic democrats, vote em down!

File under: Philosophers, I love you