Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9802-2686
Date of Award
8-1-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Philosophy
First Advisor
Neil Van Leeuwen
Second Advisor
Daniel Weiskopf
Abstract
Could it be rational to believe contrary to the evidence if the belief brings a substantial amount of practical benefits? In my thesis, I investigate this question through the lens of social choice theory. Specifically, I argue that it is never rational to believe contrary to the evidence by utilizing Arrow’s impossibility theorem. To this end, I introduce an analogy between a belief system and a social group, discuss certain conditions that hold in a rational agent’s belief system, and compare and analyze the performances of different belief systems. The goal is to shed light on the role of evidence in a rational agent’s belief system while exploring the application of theoretical results in social choice theory to the ethics of belief.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/37137831
Recommended Citation
Wu, Chen-Wei, "Evidence as Dictator: When Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem Meets the Ethics of Belief." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/37137831
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