Belief Policies by Paul Helm

Belief Policies by Paul Helm

How do we form and modify our beliefs about the world? It is widely accepted that what we believe is determined by evidence, and is therefore not directly under our control; but according to what criteria is the credibility of the evidence established? Professor Helm argues that no theory of knowledge is complete without standards for accepting and rejecting evidence as belief-worthy. These standards, or belief-policies, are not themselves determined by evidence, but determine what counts as credible evidence. Unlike single beliefs, belief-policies are directly subject to the will, and therefore to the possibility of weakness of will and self-deception. Helm sets out to interpret standard epistemological positions in terms of belief-policies, and to illustrate their operation in the history of philosophy. He establishes connections between belief-policies, responsibility for beliefs, and the desirability of toleration, before reassessing fideism in the light of his argument.

"Helm's discussion is interesting, and this book adds to the growing literature linking epistemology with ethics" Ethics
"Belief Policies offers a novel and, in my judgement, useful approach to its subject matter. This book provides a new perspective from which to view some issues in epistemology that already receive a good deal of attention, such as questions about the role of the will in belief formation and parallels between epistemology and ethics--parallels that can be eclipsed by other ways of approaching epistemology. This is a fine book well worth reading." Faith and Philosophy

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780521460286
ISBN 10	052146028X
Title	Belief Policies
Author	Paul Helm
Series	Cambridge Studies In Philosophy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	1994-05-12
Number of pages	244
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.