The Pragmatic Metaphysics of Belief

Eric Schwitzgebel 

in Cristina Borgoni, Dirk Kindermann, and Andrea Onofri, eds., The Fragmented Mind (Oxford, 2021)

On an "intellectualist" approach to belief, the intellectual endorsement of a proposition (such as "the working poor deserve as much respect as the handsomely paid") is sufficient or nearly sufficient for believing it. On a "pragmatic" approach to belief, intellectual endorsement is not enough.  Belief is behaviorally demanding.  To really, fully believe, you must also "walk the walk". I argue that the pragmatic approach is preferable on pragmatic grounds: It rightly directs our attention to what matters most in thinking about belief.

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