Epistemic Defeat - A Treatment of Defeat as an Independent Phenomenon

A number of well-developed theories shed light on the question, under what circumstances our beliefs enjoy epistemic justification. Yet, comparatively little is known about epistemic defeat-when new information causes the loss of epistemic justification. This book proposes and defends a detailed account of epistemic defeaters. The main kinds of defeaters are analyzed in detail and integrated into a general framework that aims to explain how beliefs lose justification. It is argued that defeaters introduce incompatibilities into a noetic system and thereby prompt a structured re-evaluation process that makes a justified reinstatement of the defeated belief impossible. The account is then applied to the topic of disagreement, where it is used in an argument for conciliationism, as well as a new explanation for higher-order defeat. Throughout the book, the notion of defeat is the center of attention, while a number of new issues are discussed at the intersections of defeat and justification. Specifically, new problems are raised for broadly internalist accounts of defeat, a fully descriptive reliabilist account of defeat is provided, and the case for normative defeat is revisited.

About the author

Jan Constantin, University of Cologne, Cologne.

Product details

• Authors: Jan Constantin
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 08.05.2023
• EAN: 9783111269993
• ISBN: 978-3-11-126999-3
• No. of pages: 287
• Dimensions: 155 mm x 17 mm x 230 mm
• Weight: 449 g
• Illustrations: 2 b/w tbl.
• Series: Epistemische Studien / Epistemic Studies; ISSN; Epistemic Studies, 47
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > 20th and 21st centuries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: antiquity to present day