Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Mind Research Interest Group Talk (Joshua Schechter, Brown)

The Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Mind Research Group welcomes as guest speaker Joshua Schechter, a professor in and current chair of the Department of Philosophy at Brown University. Dr. Schechter’s research ranges from epistemology to metaethics, the philosophy of logic, and technical issues in logic itself.

Much of his work concerns the epistemology of logic and inferential reasoning—including the development of accounts of the justification of our logical beliefs and basic inferential practices and an explanation of our reliability about these matters. Additional work concerns the epistemology of other a priori domains, notably moral belief; the rationality of mental states other than beliefs such as emotions and desires; and the nature of logic and validity. He also works on general issues in epistemology—for instance, on the theoretical significance of the a priori/a posteriori distinction and on the question of which epistemological statuses (e.g., knowledge, justification, or rational credence) are primary.

Talk Title

Rational Defeat beyond Belief

Talk Abstract

Epistemologists have typically discussed rational defeat as applying to beliefs and other cognitive states. But there is a wide range of mental states that can be rationally defeated, including emotions and desires. For instance, the information that such-and-such is not in fact dangerous can (at least apparently) reduce the rationality of one’s fear of such-and-such. The information that some action will not in fact help to achieve some desired end can (at least apparently) reduce the rationality of having an instrumental desire to carry out that action. In this talk, I argue that there are strong analogies between the rational defeat of beliefs and the rational defeat of other kinds of mental states. I then develop a general account of rational defeat that applies to a wide range of mental states, with a particular focus on unifying the cases of cognitive states and emotions.

About the Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Mind Research Group

One of six departmental research interest groups, the Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Mind Group undertakes research in philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science, traditional and formal epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of language.