Epistemic Dimensions of Personhood by Simon J. EvnineEpistemic Dimensions of Personhood by Simon J. Evnine

Epistemic Dimensions of Personhood

bySimon J. Evnine

Paperback | December 15, 2011

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Simon Evnine examines various epistemic aspects of what it is to be a person. Persons are defined as finite beings that have beliefs, including second-order beliefs about their own and others' beliefs, and engage in agency, including the making of long-term plans. It is argued that for anybeing meeting these conditions, a number of epistemic consequences obtain. First, all such beings must have certain logical concepts and be able to use them in certain ways. Secondly, there are at least two principles governing belief that it is rational for persons to satisfy and are such thatnothing can be a person at all unless it satisfies them to a large extent. These principles are that one believe the conjunction of one's beliefs and that one treat one's future beliefs as, by and large, better than one's current beliefs. Thirdly, persons both occupy epistemic points of view on theworld and show up within those views. This makes it impossible for them to be completely objective about their own beliefs. Ideals of rationality that require such objectivity, while not necessarily wrong, are intrinsically problematic for persons. This 'aspectual dualism' is characteristic oftreatments of persons in the Kantian tradition. In sum, these epistemic consequences support a traditional view of the nature of persons, one in opposition to much recent theorizing.
Simon Evnine took a Bachelors in Music at King's College, London, before moving to philosophy, doing an M.A. at Bedford College and M.Phil. at University College, London. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles and has taught in California and now at the University of Miami.
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Title:Epistemic Dimensions of PersonhoodFormat:PaperbackDimensions:188 pagesPublished:December 15, 2011Publisher:Oxford University PressLanguage:English

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN - 10:0199642419

ISBN - 13:9780199642410

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Table of Contents

1. Persons and Other Matters2. Personhood and Logical Ability3. Belief and Conjunction4. Mental Partitioning5. The Epistemic Shape of a Person's Life6. Oneself as AnotherConclusionReferencesIndex

Editorial Reviews

Review from previous edition: "Evnine's book is in the main wonderfully clear, and offers detailed arguments about several central issues in the theory of epistemic rationality. It makes a nice entry point for readers new to the topics discussed." --Krista Lawlor, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews