“Rational Defeat Beyond Belief”

Abstract: Epistemologists have typically discussed rational defeat as applying to beliefs and other cognitive states. But there is a wide range of mental states that can be rationally defeated, including emotions and desires. For instance, the information that such-and-such is not in fact dangerous can (at least apparently) reduce the rationality of one's fear of such-and-such. The information that some action will not in fact help to achieve some desired end can (at least apparently) reduce the rationality of having an instrumental desire to carry out that action. In this talk, I argue that there are strong analogies between the rational defeat of beliefs and the rational defeat of other kinds of mental states. I then develop a general account of rational defeat that applies to a wide range of mental states, with a particular focus on unifying the cases of cognitive states and emotions.