Reason and Explanation: A Defense of Explanatory Coherentism

206 Pages·2014·1.198 MB·English

by  Ted Poston (auth.)

Reason and Explanation
PalgraveInnovationsinPhilosophy
SeriesEditors: Vincent F.Hendricks, UniversityofCopenhagenandColumbia
UniversityinNewYorkandDuncanPritchard,UniversityofEdinburgh.
Titlesinclude:
MikkelGerken
EPISTEMICREASONINGANDTHEMENTAL
KevinMeeker
HUME’SRADICALSCEPTICISMANDTHEFATEOF
NATURALIZEDEPISTEMOLOGY
TedPoston
REASONANDEXPLANATION:ADefenseofExplanatoryCoherentism
Forthcomingtitles:
J.AdamCarter
THEPROSPECTSFORRELATIVISMINEPISTEMOLOGY
E.J.Coffman
LUCK:ItsNatureandSignificanceforHumanKnowledge
andAgency
AnnalisaColiva
THEVARIETIESOFSELF-KNOWLEDGE
JulianKiverstein
THESIGNIFICANCEOFPHENOMENOLOGY
JonathanMatheson
THEEPISTEMICSIGNIFICANCEOFDISAGREEMENT
AidanMcGlynn
KNOWLEDGEFIRST?
DavidPedersen
POLITICALEPISTEMOLOGY:EpistemicTheoriesandKnowledgeInstitutions
ChristopherPincockandSandraLapointe(editors)
INNOVATIONSINTHEHISTORYOFANALYTICALPHILOSOPHY
JohnTurri
THEKNOWLEDGEACCOUNTOFASSERTION
PalgraveInnovationsinPhilosophy
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Reason and Explanation
A Defense of Explanatory Coherentism
Ted Poston
©TedL.Poston2014
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Contents
SeriesEditors’Preface viii
Preface ix
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Abriefhistoryofcoherentism 2
1.2 Twotraditionalobjectionstocoherentism 8
1.2.1 Theinputobjection 8
1.2.2 Alternativesystemsobjection 10
1.3 Overview 12
2 EpistemicConservatism 18
2.1 Theanti-conservativeprobabilityargument 21
2.2 Conservativejustificationandwarrantedassertion 28
2.3 Conservatismandautobiographicalepistemology 30
2.4 Theextraboostandconversionobjections 34
2.4.1 Theextraboostobjection 34
2.4.2 Conversionobjections 36
2.5 Conservatismandtheperspectivalcharacterof
justification 38
2.5.1 Theargumentfromperspective 39
2.5.2 Twochallenges 41
2.6 Conclusion 44
3 ReasonswithoutFirstPhilosophy 45
3.1 Thebasicreasonsdilemma 46
3.1.1 Thefirsthorn 46
3.1.2 Thesecondhorn 48
3.2 Theargumentagainstfirstphilosophy 49
3.2.1 Thenatureofbasicreasons 49
3.2.2 Nofirstphilosophy 52
3.3 Frameworkreasons 56
3.4 Weakfoundationalismandframeworkreasons 62
3.5 Bergmannonfoundationalismandepistemiccircularity 64
3.6 Conclusion 68
4 ExplanationandJustification 69
4.1 Explanationanditsvirtues 70
v
vi Contents
4.1.1 Threeargumentsforprimitiveness 73
4.1.2 Thevirtuesofexplanation 80
4.2 Anexplanationisttheoryofjustification 85
4.2.1 Thegoal 86
4.2.2 TheEx-Jaccount 87
4.2.3 Ex-Jandmentalism 91
4.2.4 Ex-Jandevidentialism 92
4.2.5 Ex-Jandpropositionalanddoxastic
justification 95
4.3 Supportingcasesandputativecounterexamples 96
4.3.1 Case-by-casecomparison 96
4.3.2 Putativecounterexamples 102
4.4 Conclusion 109
5 BonJourandtheMythoftheGiven 110
5.1 BonJour’santi-foundationalistargumentandthe
Sellarsiandilemma 111
5.2 BonJour’snewfoundationalism 115
5.2.1 BonJour’snonconceptualism 116
5.2.2 Nonconceptualismandjustification 118
5.3 Thephenomenalconceptstrategy 121
5.4 Conclusion 128
6 IsFoundationalAPrioriJustificationIndispensable? 129
6.1 BonJour’sindispensabilityarguments 130
6.1.1 Observation-transcendentinference 131
6.1.2 Putativeaprioritruthsandtheparade
argument 133
6.1.3 Reasoning 136
6.1.4 Takingstock 138
6.2 BonJour’santi-coherenceobjection 139
6.2.1 Explanationismandnoncontradiction 140
6.2.2 Coherenceandcircularity 140
6.2.3 Coherenceandpresupposition 142
6.3 Coherenceandawareness 145
6.4 Conclusion 148
7 BayesianExplanationism 149
7.1 Bayesianism 150
7.1.1 AnintroductiontoBayesianism 151
7.1.2 ArgumentsforBayesianism 154
7.1.3 ExamplesofBayesianunification 161
Contents vii
7.1.4 Summary 166
7.2 AreBayesianismandIBEcompatible? 167
7.2.1 VanFraassen’sincompatibilityargument 168
7.2.2 TheHeuristicview 169
7.3 Bayesianexplanationism 174
7.4 Explainingorrepresenting? 179
Bibliography 182
Index 189
Series Editors’ Preface
Palgrave Innovations in Philosophy is a series of short monographs. Each
bookwillconstitutethe‘newwave’ofpureorappliedphilosophy,both
intermsofitstopicandtheresearchangle,andwillbeconcernedwith
‘hot’newresearchareasinphilosophyanditsneighbouringintellectual
disciplines. These monographs will provide an overview of an emerg-
ing area while at the same time significantly advancing the debate on
this topic and giving the reader a sense of where this debate might be
heading next. While the series will devote attention to core topics of
philosophy, itwillalsofeaturebookswithaninterdisciplinaryoutlook,
aswebelievethatmanyofthemostexcitingdevelopmentsinourdisci-
plineinvolveafusionofphilosophywithothersubjects.
VincentHendricks,Copenhagen
DuncanPritchard,Edinburgh
viii
Preface
The guiding idea of this book is that a person’s normative standing in
the space of reasons is constituted by her explanatory standing. Thus,
theultimatejustificationofaperson’sbeliefsisconstitutedbyhowwell
those beliefs fit into a virtuous explanatory system which beats rele-
vant competitors. Epistemic justification is holistic because it depends
on the facts about a subject’s entire explanatory position. This book
presentsacasethatabelief’sepistemicjustificationisdeterminedbythe
explanatoryvirtuesofasubject’sentiresystemofbeliefs.
Writingabookisacommunityproject.Ideasarepresented, debated,
refined, debated some more, and refined yet again. The final process
combines insights from many philosophers. I am grateful for the out-
standing comments I have received on this project from many superb
philosophers. I thank audiences at Northwestern University, Vander-
bilt University, Rutgers University, the Alabama Philosophical Society,
the Orange Beach Epistemology Workshop, the Central States Philo-
sophicalAssociation,theSoutheasternEpistemologicalConference,and
theAmericanPhilosophicalAssociation.Forhelpfulandprobativecom-
mentsalongthewayofdevelopingthisproject,IamindebtedtoSelim
Berker, David Black, Brit Brogaard, Adam Carter, David Christensen,
Trent Dougherty, Mylan Engel, Branden Fitelson, William Fleisher,
RichardFumerton, AlvinGoldman, AliHasan, DavidHenderson, Mike
Huemer,TomKelly,PeterKlein,JonathanKvanvig,EricLoomis,William
Lycan,JonMatheson,KevinMcCain,MatthewMcGrath,KevinMeeker,
Lisa Miracchi, Brad Monton, Andrew Moon, Erik Olsson, Jim Pryor,
Bill Roche, Jeff Roland, Daniel Rubio, Bruce Russell, Jonah Schup-
bach, JonathanSchaffer, ErnestSosa, MatthiasSteup,KurtSylvan, Josh
Thurow, Christopher Tucker, John Turri, Michael Williams, and Chase
Wrenn.IthanktheChicagoCubsforkeepingitreal.Iowespecialthanks
totheUniversityofSouthAlabamawhoprovidedfundingforasabbat-
ical leave to finish this project, as well as to Ernest Sosa and Rutgers
University for hosting my sabbatical leave. This manuscript improved
considerably from thecommentsI receivedat RutgersUniversity. Iam
especiallygratefultofellowAlabamaexplanationistKevinMcCainwho
provided tremendously helpful comments on the entire manuscript.
Finally,IowemorethanIcanstatetomywifeChristinewhohasbeen
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