Doxastic dispositions : an essay on the metaphysics of belief
Is belief a dispositional state? This thesis looks at what sense, if any, belief is dispositional, and what that claim amounts to. My focus is on the extent to which dispositions enter into the individuation of belief-content pairs. It has commonly been supposed that dispositions cannot, by themselves, individuate belief-content pairs for at least two reasons. First, due to the inïŹuence of functionalist accounts of belief, on which beliefs (despite perhaps bearing dispositional properties) are taken to be the occupants of causal roles. Second, due to the 'Twin-Earth' style counterexamples to internalist theories of content. In response to the ïŹrst, I argue against a functionalist account of belief in favour of a dispositional account. In response to the second, I argue that whilst content externalism shows that beliefs are not individuated in terms of actually possessed dispositions, that belief-content pairs are nonetheless dispositionally individuated, albeit by dispositional ideals, which I take to be a kind of functional norm.
Paterson, Niall
Doxastic dispositions : an essay on the metaphysics of belief. Is belief a dispositional state? This thesis looks at what sense, if any, belief is dispositional, and what that claim amounts to. My focus is on the extent to which dispositions enter into the individuation of belief-content pairs. It has commonly been supposed that dispositions cannot, by themselves, individuate belief-content pairs for at least two reasons. First, due to the inïŹuence of functionalist accounts of belief, on which beliefs (despite perhaps bearing dispositional properties) are taken to be the occupants of causal roles. Second, due to the 'Twin-Earth' style counterexamples to internalist theories of content. In response to the ïŹrst, I argue against a functionalist account of belief in favour of a dispositional account. In response to the second, I argue that whilst content externalism shows that beliefs are not individuated in terms of actually possessed dispositions, that belief-content pairs are nonetheless dispositionally individuated, albeit by dispositional ideals, which I take to be a kind of functional norm.
doxastic disposition essay metaphysics belief belief dispositional state look sense belief dispositional claim amount focus extent disposition enter individuation belief content pair commonly suppose disposition individuate belief content pair least_two reason first due functionalist account belief belief despite perhaps bear dispositional_property take occupant causal role second due twin earth style counterexample internalist theory content response argue functionalist account belief favour dispositional account response second argue_whilst content externalism show belief individuate term actually possess disposition belief content pair nonetheless individuate albeit dispositional ideal take kind functional norm