TY - JOUR
T1 - An objection of varying importance to epistemic utility theory
AU - Levinstein, Benjamin A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Springer Nature B.V.
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - Some propositions are more epistemically important than others. Further, how important a proposition is is often a contingent matter—some propositions count more in some worlds than in others. Epistemic Utility Theory cannot accommodate this fact, at least not in any standard way. For EUT to be successful, legitimate measures of epistemic utility must be proper, i.e., every probability function must assign itself maximum expected utility. Once we vary the importance of propositions across worlds, however, normal measures of epistemic utility become improper. I argue there isn’t any good way out for EUT.
AB - Some propositions are more epistemically important than others. Further, how important a proposition is is often a contingent matter—some propositions count more in some worlds than in others. Epistemic Utility Theory cannot accommodate this fact, at least not in any standard way. For EUT to be successful, legitimate measures of epistemic utility must be proper, i.e., every probability function must assign itself maximum expected utility. Once we vary the importance of propositions across worlds, however, normal measures of epistemic utility become improper. I argue there isn’t any good way out for EUT.
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U2 - 10.1007/s11098-018-1157-9
DO - 10.1007/s11098-018-1157-9
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85052711798
SN - 0031-8116
VL - 176
SP - 2919
EP - 2931
JO - Philosophical Studies
JF - Philosophical Studies
IS - 11
ER -