Evidence and self-fulfilling belief

Abstract

This paper considers the relationship between evidence and self-fulfilling beliefs-beliefs whose propositional contents will be true just in case-and because-an agent believes them. following Grice (1971), many philosophers hold that believing such propositions would involve an impermissible form of bootstrapping. This paper argues that such objections get their force from a popular but problematic function-model of theoretical deliberation, and that attending to the case of self-fulfilling belief can help us see why such a model is mistaken. The paper shows that on a revised model of theoretical deliberation our evidence will problematically underdetermine any appropriate doxastic attitude: when belief in a proposition is self-fulfilling, our evidence is insufficient to support belief, disbelief, or even suspended judgment toward that proposition.