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Free Believers

ContributorsEngel, Pascal
Presented atJoão Pessoa (Brésil), March 2002
Published inAndré Leclerc, Giovanni da Silva de Queiroz et Michael B. Wrigley (Ed.), Proceedings of the third International Colloquium in Philosophy of Mind, p. 155-175
Collection
  • Manuscrito; 25 (n° sp.: Mental Causation)
Publication date2002
Abstract

Is there such a thing as free belief? This paper is not about free expression of belief or free speech. It is about freedom of belief as a mental state. In the sense in which the believer would be the cause of his or her own belief, and could believe at will, it is, for well-known reasons, impossible. Some writers, however, like McDowell, have argued, in a Kantian spirit, that obeying the norms of thought and setting oneself as a member of the "space of reasons" could provide the appropriate notion of free belief. Their account is based on the idea that a reflexive believer is automatically a free believer. I argue that this is wrong. There is no appropriate notion of free belief in this sense, although this does not show that one cannot be responsible for one's belief.

Keywords
  • Belief
  • Freedom
  • Metaphysics
  • Reflection
  • Responsibility
  • Mcdowell John
Affiliation entities Not a UNIGE publication
Citation (ISO format)
ENGEL, Pascal. Free Believers. In: Proceedings of the third International Colloquium in Philosophy of Mind. André Leclerc, Giovanni da Silva de Queiroz et Michael B. Wrigley (Ed.). João Pessoa (Brésil). [s.l.] : [s.n.], 2002. p. 155–175. (Manuscrito)
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  • PID : unige:5383
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