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Nothing but the truth: on the norms and aims of belief

Nothing but the truth: on the norms and aims of belief
Nothing but the truth: on the norms and aims of belief
That truth provides the standard for believing appears to be a platitude, one which dovetails with the idea that in some sense belief aims only at the truth. In recent years, however, an increasing number of prominent philosophers have suggested that knowledge provides the standard for believing, and so that belief aims only at knowledge. In this paper, I examine the considerations which have been put forward in support of this suggestion, considerations relating to lottery beliefs, Moorean beliefs, the criticism and defence of belief, and the value of knowledge. I argue that those considerations do not give us reason to give up the truth view in favour of the knowledge view and, moreover, that reflection on those considerations gives us some reason to reject the knowledge view. Thus, I conclude, we can continue to the take the apparent platitude at face value.
978-0-19-967213-4
Oxford University Press
Whiting, Daniel
c0847bb4-963e-470d-92a2-5c8aae5d5aef
Chan, Timothy
Whiting, Daniel
c0847bb4-963e-470d-92a2-5c8aae5d5aef
Chan, Timothy

Whiting, Daniel (2013) Nothing but the truth: on the norms and aims of belief. In, Chan, Timothy (ed.) The Aim of Belief. Oxford, GB. Oxford University Press.

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

That truth provides the standard for believing appears to be a platitude, one which dovetails with the idea that in some sense belief aims only at the truth. In recent years, however, an increasing number of prominent philosophers have suggested that knowledge provides the standard for believing, and so that belief aims only at knowledge. In this paper, I examine the considerations which have been put forward in support of this suggestion, considerations relating to lottery beliefs, Moorean beliefs, the criticism and defence of belief, and the value of knowledge. I argue that those considerations do not give us reason to give up the truth view in favour of the knowledge view and, moreover, that reflection on those considerations gives us some reason to reject the knowledge view. Thus, I conclude, we can continue to the take the apparent platitude at face value.

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More information

Published date: 2013
Organisations: Philosophy

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 184617
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/184617
ISBN: 978-0-19-967213-4
PURE UUID: a1ecf620-008c-49bb-852c-5cd6a4c3c58e

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Date deposited: 06 May 2011 13:51
Last modified: 12 Sep 2024 17:01

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Contributors

Author: Daniel Whiting
Editor: Timothy Chan

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