Doxastic dilemmas and epistemic blame

Abstract What should we believe when epistemic and practical reasons pull in opposite directions? The traditional view states that there is something that we ought epistemically to believe and something that we ought practically to (cause ourselves to) believe, period. More recent accounts challenge this view, either by arguing that there is something that we ought simpliciter to believe, all epistemic and practical reasons considered (the weighing view), or by denying the normativity of epistemic reasons altogether (epistemic anti‐normativism). I argue against both accounts and defend the traditional view. An agent can be blameworthy in doxastic dilemmas for complying with their practical but not their epistemic reasons. This reveals how epistemic reasons are normative: the concept of epistemic blame helps us track epistemic normativity.

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Publication Details

Journal
Philosophical Issues
Published
2024-09-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/phis.12279
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
16.87

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article

Doxastic dilemmas and epistemic blame

Sebastian Schmidt
4 citations
Philosophical Issues
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
16.87
article

Doxastic dilemmas and epistemic blame

Sebastian Schmidt
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Abstract What should we believe when epistemic and practical reasons pull in opposite directions? The traditional view states that there is something that we ought epistemically to believe and something that we ought practically to (cause ourselves to) believe, period. More recent accounts challenge this view, either by arguing that there is something that we ought simpliciter to believe, all epistemic and practical reasons considered (the weighing view), or by denying the normativity of epistemic reasons altogether (epistemic anti‐normativism). I argue against both accounts and defend the traditional view. An agent can be blameworthy in doxastic dilemmas for complying with their practical but not their epistemic reasons. This reveals how epistemic reasons are normative: the concept of epistemic blame helps us track epistemic normativity.

Philosophical IssuesVol. 34(1)
University of Zurich (CH), University of Johannesburg (ZA)
National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
16.87
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