Epistemic bootstrapping as a failure to use an independent source
Por:
Angel Fernandez-Vargas, Miguel
Publicada:
1 oct 2022
Ahead of Print:
1 oct 2022
Categoría:
Philosophy
Resumen:
The problem of epistemic bootstrapping requires explaining, in a
principled manner, why a subject who engages in bootstrapping fails to
know the conclusion of her reasoning. Existing proposed solutions to the
problem provide unsatisfactory explanations regarding the bootstrapper's
ignorance. This paper puts forward a novel solution and argues that it
satisfactorily explains the ignorance of the bootstrapper, while
avoiding the difficulties that other proposals face. Section 1 explains
what epistemic bootstrapping is, defines the problem it poses for a
theory of knowledge, and outlines the basic desiderata demanded of any
acceptable solution to the problem. Section 2 explicates the proposal I
defend throughout the rest of the paper. Here, I contend that the
wrong-making feature of bootstrapping which ultimately explains the
bootstrapper's ignorance is a failure to use an independent source in
checking the accuracy of the reports of a given source. I call this
explanation the ``Independence proposal.'' Section 2 also argues that
the phenomenon of bootstrapping is broader than is usually assumed;
there are cases of bootstrapping that do not fit the superficial
structure of the prototypical cases discussed in the literature, and any
good proposal should apply to these as well. Section 3 argues that the
independence proposal does better than other current proposals in
fulfilling the desiderata identified in Section 1. Section 4 sums up the
central contributions of the paper.
Filiaciones:
Angel Fernandez-Vargas, Miguel:
Fernandez-Vargas, MA (Corresponding Author), Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Invest Filosof, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Invest Filosof, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
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