Belief Worlds and Epistemic Possibilities :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Belief Worlds and Epistemic Possibilities ABSTRACT: This paper develops an individualistic, belief-based account for a limited class of epistemic possibility statements. Section I establishes the need for such an account by reviewing a recent version of the majority view (the "Relevant Community Account") and contesting two key assumptions. I argue that some epistemic possibilities are belief-based-contra the assumption that all are knowledge-based. Against the assumption that all epistemic possibility statements are analyzable in terms of the speaker's "relevant community," I contend that the truth value of some statements is a function of the speaker's epistemic states alone. Section II develops an alternative account designed to capture those internal, individual statements. Modeling belief sets as "belief worlds," I explain our epistemic processes in terms of an ability to shift attention among our various belief worlds. Ever since G. E. Moore set out to explain the phrase "it's not certain that" and ended up offering a definition of epistemic possibility, ordinary uses of epistemic modal sentences have commanded more attention. A number of more recent accounts-which I'll call the "Moorean accounts"-follow Moore by analyzing all statements having the form "It's possible that p" uniformly. Their analysis is uniform in that they make two assumptions: first that some community is relevant in every case, and second that every statement is analyzable in terms of knowledge. I think that both assumptions are false, so one thing I'll do today is to suggest truth conditions for statements failing of both assumptions-"individual, doxastic possibility statements." I will have time to contest only the first assumption, though, and will therefore help myself to my conclusion regarding the second; I will assume that the locution "It's possible that p" is not restricted to expressions of epistemic, that is, knowledge-based possibility, but may be used to express doxastic or belief-based possibility as well. The first assumption-that some community is relevant to every use of "It's possible that p"-will be my main concern, then. To make the assumption in its stronger form, as Ian Hacking and Paul Teller do, is to treat all uses of "It's possible that p" as statements to be translated as "For all we know, p." But the locution "It's possible that p" is used not only for statements of that sort-for, in my terminology, "community statements"-but also for what I'll call "individual statements"-statements properly translated as "For all I know, p." The assumption that some community is relevant to every use of "It's possible that p" is also made by Keith DeRose, but in a weaker form.

Legal Environment of Business Management

Case Questions1. Many states prohibit their lottery tickets from being sold out of the state, so Pic-A-State would have it agent buy lottery tickets in various states and hold them there; someone in Pennsylvania would buy a claim on the tickets held in the other states. Congress passed a law prohibiting interstate transmission of lottery ticket information to be used for lottery ticket sales. Pic-A-State, which was being put out of business, challenged the law as unconstitutional. Was this correct? Pic-A-State Inc. s challenge stating that the law Congress passed prohibiting interstate transmission of lottery ticket information to be used for lottery ticket sale was unconstitutional is not correct. As per out text, the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution provides that â€Å"Congress shall have Power†¦ To regulate commerce with foreign Nations, and amount the several states†¦ † Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce that includes transmis sion of information by computer for purchasing lottery tickets.Although Pic-A-State did not transport actual lottery tickets across state lines, but only sold interest in lottery tickets via computer, their activity may still be regulated by Congress. Congress has acted under their constitutional exercise and power to legislate under the Commerce Clause. This law has protected the state lottery revenues, and preserving state sovereignty in the regulation of lotteries and interstate gambling.2. Plaistow, New Hampshire, passed an ordinance prohibiting truck traffic during late-night hours at a truck terminal loading and unloading facility.It did so to reduce noise and fumes for the benefit of town residents. The truck terminal had been in operation several years. Most of the trucks came five miles from an interstate highway to change loads. The truckers contested the regulation as a restriction on interstate commerce and maintained that regulating an area (interstate trucking) subject to federal regulations was illegal. Were the truckers right? I believe that the truckers were correct, stating that the regulation was a restriction on interstate commerce. As a person, I can understand the importance of regulating and restricting noise and fumes for the town residents.However, this terminal had been in operation for several years and poses a very important role for truckers as it allows them to pick up and drop of loads of many different products that need to be received in a timely manner by their purchasers. By regulating and restricting the operating hours of these truckers, they were imposing burden on interstate commerce. Only Congress can burden interstate commerce, and since Plaistow, New Hampshire as a state did not get approval from congress, this would be an unconstitutional regulation that imposes on interstate commerce.3. The state of Iowa has a statute limiting to 55 feet the length of trucks on it highways. This made it illegal for commonly use doubl e-trailer trucks 65 feet long to use Iowa highways. The shippers had to either use shorter truckers or go around the state. Iowa justified the regulation on the basis of safety on the highways, and because the bigger trucks caused more damage to it highways. Was this regulation constitutional? No, this regulation is not constitutional Iowa’s law substantially burdens interstate commerce as it uses regulations out of step with all of its neighboring State’s regulations.Moreover, Iowa discriminates against out-of-state interests by providing Iowan’s exemptions that are not extended to out-of-state interests. The safety benefits are not enough to be greater than the national interest in keeping interstate commerce free from interference, and this regulation was completely hindering the interstate commerce.11. A church owned land in a rural area that it used as a recreation area for disabled children. A fire in the area-destroyed vegetation, allowing flooding to occ ur. To protect public safety, the county adopted an ordinance prohibiting any new building in the area until it determined what to do.The church requested to rebuild was denied for six years while the county pondered what the building code, if any, should be for the area. The church sued for loss of use of the land. Could it recover under the just compensation clause of the Fifth Amendment? Yes, the church can recover it loss. The Fifth Amendment provides that â€Å"private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation. † The Fifth Amendment does not prevent the government from taking property from private individuals, but does require that just compensation be paid.

Analysis Of Julia Alvarez s How I Learned At Sweep

In Julia Alvarez’s, â€Å"How I Learned to Sweep,† she uses an extended metaphor, similes, and imagery to convey the image that the narrator is not in the best mental state. Alvarez uses the idea of sweeping to express the narrator’s fear of the bad things in her life. â€Å"How I Learned to Sweep† explains a story of when a little girl first starts to sweep. The girl had often seen her mother sweep, yet she never taught her daughter. Once the girl is finished sweeping the floor of the house, the television catches her attention. She now begins to see images of the current war, The Vietnam War, and this is intriguing to her. After gazing away from the television, she realizes that the floor, she had been sweeping does not seem to be clean for her anymore. She begins to sweep again, but in her mind, the images she saw on television were too overwhelming. Her mother enters the room and turns off the television and the floor appears to be clean again. The ide a of the dust that was scattered throughout the floor represented the narrator’s mental state. She had been watching soldiers die on her television that was flooding her mind and causing her trouble. Throughout the poem, Alvarez uses the idea of â€Å"sweeping† as an extended metaphor that represents getting rid of the negative aspects in someone’s like. The narrator first explains, â€Å"My mother never taught me to learn how to sweep.† Children’s minds are normally filled with joy and innocence and the mother realizes this and she hopesShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use mate rial from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers