Greg Salmieri: How we choose our beliefs
Abstract: In this paper I defend a version of doxastic voluntarism against recent
criticisms (in particular those of Alston) by presenting a theory of how beliefs are
chosen. I argue that one chooses a belief by choosing the mental actions by which
the belief is formed and maintained. Choices between such actions qualify as
choices between beliefs for two reasons. First, the actions are (or ought to be)
chosen precisely for the beliefs (or sorts of beliefs) they generate or sustain.
Second, the actions are partially constitutive of the beliefs, considered as mental
states. After developing this account for the special case of beliefs formed as the
result of deliberate inquiry, I argue that the account applies in a more complex
form to other sorts of beliefs including perceptual and introspective judgments.