Patriotic Doxastic Partialism: Canada and the Cognitive Norms of Patriotism

Abstract Doxastic Partialism in Friendship is the view that part of being a good friend is having positively tilted beliefs about one’s friends. Being a patriot — like being a good friend — is demanding. And there is a case to be made that patriotism — like friendship — demands doxastic partiality, this time towards one’s country. Although doxastic partiality in friendship has been widely discussed in the philosophical literature, comparatively little has been written on its patriotic cousin. Focusing on doxastic partiality in the Canadian context, this article seeks to rectify this lack by considering both motivations and worries for Patriotic Doxastic Partialism.