Reasons for Belief and Normativity
2018 (English)In: Oxford Handbook of Reasons and Normativity / [ed] Daniel Star, Oxford University Press, 2018, p. 575-599Chapter in book (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
In this chapter, we critically examine the most important extant ways of understanding and motivating the idea that reasons for belief are normative. First, we examine the proposal that the distinction between explanatory and so-called normative reasons that is commonly drawn in moral philosophy can be rather straightforwardly applied to reasons for belief, and that reasons for belief are essentially normative precisely when they are normative reasons. In the course of this investigation, we explore the very nature of the reasons-for-belief relation, as well as the ontology of such reasons. Second, we examine the idea that the normativity derives from the internal connection between reasons for belief and epistemic justification, distinguishing between two distinct normativist accounts of justification, a weaker and a stronger one. We argue that neither line of argument is compelling. Pending further arguments, we conclude that normativism about reasons for belief is not supported.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press, 2018. p. 575-599
Keywords [en]
reasons, normativity, normative reasons, reasons for belief, ontology of reasons, epistemic justification, epistemic reasons reasons, normativity, normative reasons, reasons for belief, ontology of reasons, epistemic justification, epistemic reasons
National Category
Philosophy
Research subject
Philosophy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-138151DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199657889.013.0026ISBN: 9780199657889 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-138151DiVA, id: diva2:1065829
Projects
The Nature of Belief
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2013-7372017-01-162017-01-162023-03-07Bibliographically approved