The Nature of Belief and its Normative Implications

atmire.migration.oldid4142
dc.contributor.advisorFantl, Jeremy
dc.contributor.authorLee, Caleb
dc.contributor.committeememberVelleman, David
dc.contributor.committeememberBaker, John
dc.contributor.committeememberLiebesman, David
dc.contributor.committeememberDriediger-Murphy, Lindsay
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-04T20:14:17Z
dc.date.available2016-02-04T20:14:17Z
dc.date.issued2016-02-04
dc.date.submitted2016en
dc.description.abstractBeliefs seem to be more significantly constrained by some norms than others e.g. one should only believe what they have sufficient evidence for, a belief that p is correct iff p is true etc. I call these norms, doxastic norms. Constitutivism is the view that doxastic norms are a constitutive feature of belief. I argue that this view is mistaken. In making this case, I come to defend views about the semantics of doxastic norms, the nature of belief, and the value of truth. Doxastic norms are naturally stated in deontic terms. In the first chapter, I consider how we should best understand these statements, given that we likely don't control our beliefs in the same way that we do our actions. In the second chapter, I consider whether the account of religious belief given by either Ludwig Wittgenstein or Søren Kierkegaard provide a counterexample to constitutivism. In the third chapter, I argue that constitutivism can't account for certain intuitions about our reasons for belief. In the fourth chapter, I defend a descriptive account of belief in terms of the appearance of truth. In the fifth chapter, I show how my view can better account for the data which is thought by some to support constitutivism. In the final chapter, I describe how our reasons for belief might arise from our goals.en_US
dc.identifier.citationLee, C. (2016). The Nature of Belief and its Normative Implications (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28253en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/28253
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/2836
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectPhilosophy
dc.subject.classificationBeliefen_US
dc.subject.classificationNormativity of Beliefen_US
dc.subject.classificationReasons for Beliefen_US
dc.titleThe Nature of Belief and its Normative Implications
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplinePhilosophy
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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