Reasons and Entailment

Author: Streumer, Bart¹

Source: Erkenntnis, Volume 66, Number 3, May 2007 , pp. 353-374(22)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

What is the relation between entailment and reasons for belief? In this paper, I discuss several answers to this question, and I argue that these answers all face problems. I then propose the following answer: for all propositions p ₁,…,p _n and q, if the conjunction of p ₁,…, and p _n entails q, then there is a reason against a person's both believing that p ₁,…, and that p _n and believing the negation of q. I argue that this answer avoids the problems that the other answers to this question face, and that it does not face any other problems either. I end by showing what the relation between deductive logic, reasons for belief and reasoning is if this answer is correct.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1007/s10670-007-9041-6

Affiliations: 1: Email: b.streumer@reading.ac.uk

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