This talk addresses and aims to resolve an epistemological puzzle that has attracted much attention in the recent literature—namely, the puzzle arising from Moorean anti-sceptical reasoning and the phenomenon of transmission failure. I argue that an appealing account of Moorean reasoning can be given by distinguishing carefully between two subtly different ways of thinking about justification and evidence. Once the respective distinctions are in place we have a simple and straightforward way to model both the Wrightean position of transmission failure and the Moorean position of dogmatism. The approach developed in this article is, accordingly, ecumenical in that it allows us to embrace two positions that are widely considered to be incompatible. The paper further argues that the Moorean Puzzle can be resolved by noting the relevant distinctions and our insensitivity towards them: once we carefully tease apart the different senses of ‘justified’ and ‘evidence’ involved, the bewilderment caused by Moore’s anti-sceptical strategy subsides.

Philosophy Seminar Series.
Date: Thursday, 3 Apr 2014
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Venue: Philosophy Resource Room (AS3 #05-23)
Speaker: Michael Blome-Tillmann, McGill University and University of Cambridge
Moderator: Dr. Ben Blumson

About the Speaker:

Michael Blome-Tillmann is Associate Professor of Philosophy at McGill University and Marie Curie Experienced Researcher at the University of Cambridge. He obtained his PhD at the University of Oxford and his research is primarily in the areas of epistemology and philosophy of language.