Belief in Naturalism: An Epistemologist's Philosophy of Mind

Logos Episteme, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 67-83, 2010

University of Miami Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2010-36

19 Pages Posted: 20 Dec 2010

See all articles by Susan Haack

Susan Haack

University of Miami - School of Law; University of Miami - Department of Philosophy

Date Written: December 20, 2010

Abstract

My title, "Belief in Naturalism," signals, not that I adopt naturalism as an article of faith, but that my purpose in this paper is to shed some light on what belief is, on why the concept of belief is needed in epistemology, and how all this related to debates about epistemological naturalism. After clarifying the many varieties of naturalism, philosophical and other (section 1), and then the various forms of epistemological naturalism specifically (section 2), I offer a theory of belief in which three elements - the behavioral, the neurophysiological, and the socio-historical - interlock (section 3), and apply this theory to resolve some contested questions: about whether animals and pre-linguistic infants have beliefs, about the fallibility of introspection, and about self-deceptiion (section 4).

Suggested Citation

Haack, Susan, Belief in Naturalism: An Epistemologist's Philosophy of Mind (December 20, 2010). Logos Episteme, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 67-83, 2010, University of Miami Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2010-36, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1728817

Susan Haack (Contact Author)

University of Miami - School of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 248087
Coral Gables, FL 33146
United States
305-284-3541 (Phone)
305-284-6506 (Fax)

University of Miami - Department of Philosophy ( email )

P.O. Box 248054
Coral Gables, FL 33124-4670
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
427
Abstract Views
2,694
Rank
125,447
PlumX Metrics