"Rational Defeat Beyond Belief"
Abstract. Epistemologists have typically discussed defeat as applying to beliefs and other cognitive states. But many other kinds of mental states can also be defeated, including emotions. This paper argues that there are strong analogies between the rational defeat of beliefs and the rational defeat of other kinds of mental states. In the case of belief, there are at least three ways evidence can have a defeating effect: it can act as a rebutter, an undercutter, or a higher-order defeater. Many other kinds of mental state can also be defeated in each of these three ways. This suggests that there is a general account of rational defeat that applies across mental states. The goal of this talk is to develop such an account
Joshua Schechter is a Professor and Department Chair of Philosophy at Brown University.