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Article
Moore’s Paradox, Defective Interpretation, Justified Belief and Conscious Belief
Theoria
  • John N. WILLIAMS, Singapore Management University
Publication Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
9-2010
Abstract

In this journal, Hamid Vahid argues against three families of explanation of Moore-paradoxicality. The first is the Wittgensteinian approach; I assert that p just in case I assert that I believe that p. So making a Moore-paradoxical assertion involves contradictory assertions. The second is the epistemic approach, one committed to: if I am justified in believing that p then I am justified in believing that I believe that p. So it is impossible to have a justified omissive Moore-paradoxical belief. The third is the conscious belief approach, being committed to: if I consciously believe that p then I believe that I believe that p. So if I have a conscious omissive Moore-paradoxical belief, then I have contradictory second-order beliefs. In their place, Vahid argues for the defective-interpretation approach, broadly that charity requires us to discount the utterer of a Moore-paradoxical sentence as a speaker. I agree that the Wittgensteinian approach is unsatisfactory. But so is the defective-interpretation approach. However, there is a satisfactory version of each of the epistemic and conscious-belief approaches.

Keywords
  • Moore,
  • paradox,
  • assertion,
  • belief,
  • irrationality,
  • justification,
  • speech-acts,
  • consciousness
Discipline
Identifier
10.1111/j.1755-2567.2010.01073.x
Publisher
Wiley
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-2567.2010.01073.x
Citation Information
John N. WILLIAMS. "Moore’s Paradox, Defective Interpretation, Justified Belief and Conscious Belief" Theoria Vol. 76 Iss. 3 (2010) p. 221 - 248 ISSN: 0040-5825
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john_williams/32/