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Strong knowledge, weak belief?

Authors :
Schulz, Moritz
Source :
Synthese; Dec2021, Vol. 199 Issue 3/4, p8741-8753, 13p
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

According to the knowledge norm of belief (Williamson in Knowledge and its limits, Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 47, 2000), one should believe p only if one knows p. However, it can easily seem that the ordinary notion of belief is much weaker than the knowledge norm would have it. It is possible to rationally believe things one knows to be unknown (Hawthorne et al. in Philos Stud 173:1393–1404, 2016; McGlynn in Noûs 47:385–407, 2013, Whiting in Chan (ed) The aim of belief, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013). One response to this observation is to develop a technical notion of 'outright' belief. A challenge for this line of response is to find a way of getting a grip on the targeted notion of belief. In order to meet this challenge, I characterize 'outright' belief in this paper as the strongest belief state implied by knowledge. I show that outright belief so construed allows this notion to play important theoretical roles in connection with knowledge, assertion and action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjects

Subjects :
THEORY of knowledge

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00397857
Volume :
199
Issue :
3/4
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Synthese
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
154096830
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03180-x