Catherine Elgin

Catherine Z. Elgin (born 1948) is a philosopher whose focus is the theory of knowledge and the philosophies of art and science. She holds a Ph.D. from Brandeis University and is currently a professor at Harvard University. She is well known for her several joint works with philosopher Nelson Goodman.

Elgin's work has considered such questions as "what makes something cognitively valuable?" As an epistemologist, she considers the pursuit of understanding to be of higher value than the pursuit of knowledge.

In Considered Judgement, Elgin argues for "a reconception that takes reflective equilibrium as the standard of rational acceptability."