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Darwin's doubt, narrative and theoretical beliefs
Hiebert, Tyler
Hiebert, Tyler
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t15013_Hiebert.pdf
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Authors
Hiebert, Tyler
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Advisors
Castro, Susan V. H.
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Digitization Date
Issue Date
2015-05
Type
Thesis
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Subjects (LCSH)
Electronic thesis
Electronic dissertations
Electronic dissertations
Citation
Abstract
If we take Darwin’s doubt to its extreme, it might turn out to be the case that our
cognitive faculties are wholly unreliable, thus each and every belief they produce is
untrustworthy. Some scholars, hereafter known as doubters, have held that if Darwinian Theory
and metaphysical naturalism are conjoined then our cognitive faculties are unreliable. To avoid
global skepticism, doubters typically reject metaphysical naturalism rather than Darwinian
Theory. Other scholars, the reliabilists, claim that this conjunction leads to a high probability of
having reliable cognitive faculties, in which case there is no skeptical pressure to reject the
conjunction. Reliabilists must instead explain how the conjunction could so regularly give rise
to metaphysical, i.e. supernatural, beliefs without compromising their global reliability claim.
Historically, the sides have been split between reliabilists who believe that the reliability
of each belief should be judged by the standards of empirical science, including beliefs that are
abstract or metaphysical, and doubters who believe that not all genuine knowledge is natural,
empirical, and scientific. The reliabilist narrative relies on an Evolutionary Supporting
Argument (ESA) while the doubter’s narrative relies on an Evolutionary Debunking Argument
(EDA). Both the ESA and EDA are intended to establish what follows given Darwinian Theory.
Neither is attempting to deny or support Darwinian theory itself.
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Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Program of Liberal Studies
Publisher
Wichita State University
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Copyright 2015 Tyler Hiebert