How to Understand the Foundations of Empirical Belief in a Coherentist Way

Author: Spohn W.

Source: Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Volume 98, Number 1, 1998 , pp. 22-40(19)

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Abstract:

The central claim of the paper is, roughly, that the fact that it looks as if p is an a priori reason for assuming that p (and vice versa). Preliminarily, it outlines a doxastic conception suitable to explicate this claim and explains how to analyse dispositions within this conception. Since an observable p has the disposition to look as if p, this analysis generalizes to the central claim which is then argued to be at the bottom of coherentism. Thus, the defence of the claim supports coherentism as opposed to foundationalism.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Fachgruppe Philosophie, Universitat Konstanz, D-78434, Konstanz

Publication date: 1998-01-01