A Note Concerning Infinite Regresses of Deferred Justification

Philosophia 45 (1):349-357 (2017)
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Abstract

An agent’s belief in a proposition, E0, is justified by an infinite regress of deferred justification just in case the belief that E0 is justified, and the justification for believing E0 proceeds from an infinite sequence of propositions, E0, E1, E2, etc., where, for all n ≥ 0, En+1 serves as the justification for En. In a number of recent articles, Atkinson and Peijnenburg claim to give examples where a belief is justified by an infinite regress of deferred justification. I argue here that there is no reason to regard Atkinson and Peijnenburg’s examples as cases where a belief is so justified. My argument is supported by careful consideration of the grounds upon which relevant beliefs are held within Atkinson and Peijnenburg’s examples.

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Author's Profile

Paul D. Thorn
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

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References found in this work

On the relationship between propositional and doxastic justification.John Turri - 2010 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 80 (2):312-326.
Human knowledge and the infinite progress of reasoning.Peter Klein - 2007 - Philosophical Studies 134 (1):1 - 17.
Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology.Jonathan Dancy - 1985 - Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie 49 (2):329-329.

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