The Norm of Belief

John Gibbons (St. Hilda's College, University of Oxford)

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English

Oxford University Press
15 October 2016

Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge; Philosophy of mind; Intelligence & reasoning

John Gibbons presents an original account of epistemic normativity. Belief seems to come with a built-in set of standards or norms. One task is to say where these standards come from. But the more basic task is to say what those standards are. In some sense, beliefs are supposed to be true. Perhaps they're supposed to constitute knowledge. And in some sense, they really ought to be reasonable. Which, if any of these is the fundamental norm of belief? The Norm of Belief argues against the teleological or instrumentalist conception of rationality that sees being reasonable as a means to our more objective aims, either knowledge or truth. And it tries to explain both the norms of knowledge and of truth in terms of the fundamental norm, the one that tells you to be reasonable. But the importance of being reasonable is not explained in terms of what it will get you, or what you think it will get you, or what it would get you if only things were different. The requirement to be reasonable comes from the very idea of what a genuine requirement is. That is where the built-in standards governing belief come from, and that is what they are.

By: John Gibbons (St. Hilda's College University of Oxford)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 158mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 484g
ISBN: 9780198791058
ISBN 10: 0198791054
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 15 October 2016
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Gibbons is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St. Hilda's College. He received his PhD from Brown University. He has taught at New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He works on epistemology, action theory, and the philosophy of mind.

Reviews for The Norm of Belief

`Gibbons' excellent book . . . is extremely rewarding. Not only does he offer interesting answers to foundational questions about epistemic normativity, he engages with some important questions in practical reason in a way that few epistemologists have done . . . I strongly recommend the book to those who work on normativity.' Errol Lord, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews