The Norm of Belief

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

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Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
01 August 2013

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: 237mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 632g
ISBN: 9780199673391
ISBN 10: 019967339X
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 01 August 2013
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Gibbons is the Susan J. Rosowski Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 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

The Norm of Belief is enjoyable to read and will be of great interest to anyone interested in epistemology, practical rationality, or normativity in general. * Jonathan Matheson, Philosophical Quarterly * 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. . . . Gibbons book is well worth reading. One will learn a lot no matter what one ultimately thinks of Gibbons' conclusions. * Errol Lord, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *