Wronging in believing

Abstract What is it for a belief to wrong someone? Views that have largely shaped the recent literature on doxastic wronging maintain that beliefs that wrong do so in virtue of what is believed. This paper offers some criticisms of these views, as well as a contractualist alternative. On the view I defend here, beliefs can wrong when they stem from inferences licensed by principles to which others would have sufficiently weighty objections. Doxastic wronging, on this account, is not (or is not entirely) a matter of having beliefs with certain kinds of objectionable representational content, but rather a matter of our being unable to morally justify our beliefs to others.

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Publication Details

Journal
Synthese
Published
2025-01-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-024-04855-x
Primary Topic
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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Wronging in believing

Lindsay Crawford
Synthese
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
article

Wronging in believing

Lindsay Crawford
article en

Abstract

Abstract What is it for a belief to wrong someone? Views that have largely shaped the recent literature on doxastic wronging maintain that beliefs that wrong do so in virtue of what is believed. This paper offers some criticisms of these views, as well as a contractualist alternative. On the view I defend here, beliefs can wrong when they stem from inferences licensed by principles to which others would have sufficiently weighty objections. Doxastic wronging, on this account, is not (or is not entirely) a matter of having beliefs with certain kinds of objectionable representational content, but rather a matter of our being unable to morally justify our beliefs to others.

SyntheseVol. 205(1)
Connecticut College (US)
Amherst College
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 98%
Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
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