Evaluating the accuracy of potential knowledge is essential to developing an understanding of the world. According to the theory of situated knowledge, however, this process is not as simple as observing from a neutral, detached perspective. Rather, the theory suggests that your situation and past experiences heavily influence what knowledge you have, why you have it, and your likelihood of accepting different information. If perspective actually influences the knowledge you have, it follows that there is a possibility that some people have more accurate perspectives than others. I argue that feminist empiricism explains this more honestly and appropriately than standpoint theory, but that feminist empiricism must be applied carefully to avoid inappropriately including every perspective. Standpoint theory centers on the “inversion hypothesis,” suggesting that those oppressed or marginalized by structures of systematic domination may have epistemological privileges. This privilege, Wylie explains, might manifest itself in marginalized people's understanding of things that the dominant group might not be aware of, or as a deeper understanding of the situation around them, resulting from their ability to relate to the powerful despite having experienced helplessness (Wylie, 26). Wylie attempts to dissociate standpoint theory from two of its common criticisms, one of which is the assumption of automatic epistemic privilege for marginalized groups (28). Wylie suggests that it is instead positions that “place the critically conscious knower in a position to grasp the effects of power relations” that offer epistemic privilege (34). However, this answer leads to two impractical interpretations. If Wylie's fix is... middle of the paper... but that's no reason to discredit them over other suggestions. By realizing that what favors someone in one respect may actually hinder them in another, we can better discuss and incorporate a range of perspectives. The awareness that knowledge is situated strongly influences how we generate knowledge. While standpoint theory offers a valuable critique that validates previously ignored perspectives, Wylie's perspective on epistemological privilege is also difficult to accept. A tempered and carefully implemented feminist empiricism, therefore, offers a better way of understanding and generating knowledge in our dynamic and diverse world. Works Cited Wylie, Alison. “Why Standpoint Matters,” in Science and Other Cultures: Issues in Philosophies of Science and Technology, edited by Robert Figueroa and Sandra Harding, Routledge, New York, 2003, pp. 26-48.