Being in a Position to Know is the Norm of Assertion

Christopher Willard-Kyle

doi:10.1111/papq.12305

Being in a Position to Know is the Norm of Assertion

Christopher Willard-Kyle

Philosophy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper defends a new norm of assertion: Assert that p only if you are in a position to know that p. We test the norm by judging its performance in explaining three phenomena that appear jointly inexplicable at first: Moorean paradoxes, lottery propositions, and selfless assertions. The norm succeeds by tethering unassertability to unknowability while untethering belief from assertion. The PtK-norm foregrounds the public nature of assertion as a practice that can be other-regarding, allowing asserters to act in the best interests of their audience when psychological pressures would otherwise prevent them from communicating the knowable truth.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	328-352
Number of pages	25
Journal	Pacific Philosophical Quarterly
Volume	101
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/papq.12305
State	Published - Jun 1 2020

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Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly © 2020 University of Southern California and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Philosophy

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10.1111/papq.12305

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Being in a Position to Know is the Norm of Assertion

Abstract

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