Justified Belief And The Infinite Regress Argument

American Philosophical Quarterly 18 (1):85-88 (1981)
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Abstract

The background to this paper is the question of how rational belief is possible in the light of the commonly presented infinite regress in reasons. The paper investigates the neglected question of whether this regress is vicious. I argue that given the genuine requirements of rational belief, The regress would require the rational believer to hold an infinity of beliefs, Which is impossible. The regress would not entail the rational believer holding an infinitely complex belief, Which, Admittedly, Would be logically impossible

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John N. Williams
Singapore Management University

Citations of this work

The Unity of Grounding.Selim Berker - 2018 - Mind 127 (507):729-777.
Who is Afraid of Epistemology’s Regress Problem?Scott F. Aikin - 2005 - Philosophical Studies 126 (2):191-217.
The trouble with infinitism.Andrew D. Cling - 2004 - Synthese 138 (1):101 - 123.
Moorean absurdities and the nature of assertion.John N. Williams - 1996 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 74 (1):135 – 149.

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