What fails to come to mind: omissions and the representational structure of social attention

Abstract

This paper develops an account of omissions as epistemically significant features of cognition. Drawing on a functionalist framework inspired by Fodor and recent theories of attention, I argue that inattention and omissions are not mere absences but structured elements with mental architecture that determine which representations become epistemically operative. Through the case of an inattentive driver who overlooks a cyclist, I show how omissions can shape what counts as evidence in both individual and social contexts. Empirical research on inattentional blindness and social salience supports the view that unconscious attentional processes contour the scope of epistemic justification. Inattention can produce epistemically diminished outcomes by constraining access to relevant information. I conclude that an epistemology of attention must also be an epistemology of inattention.