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Chapter 8 - Agnosticism and Pragmatic Reasons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2024

Avery Archer
Avery Archer
Affiliation:
George Washington University, Washington DC
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Summary

In this chapter, I defend the thesis that there may be pragmatic reasons to be agnostic. Given that agnosticism is one of the possible outcomes of doxastic deliberation – that is deliberation about whether to believe P – it follows that pragmatic considerations may determine the outcome of doxastic deliberation. However, while I hold that pragmatic considerations may be reasons to refrain from belief, I deny that they may be reason to believe.

Keywords

AgnosticismDoxastic DeliberationPragmatic ReasonsReasonsEvidentialismPragmatismPermissivismUniqueness
Type
Chapter
Information
The Attitude of Agnosticism , pp. 151 - 170
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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