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Dream Skepticism and the Conditionality Problem

Ahlstrom-Vij, Kristoffer (2011) Dream Skepticism and the Conditionality Problem. Erkenntnis, 75 (1). pp. 45-60. ISSN 1572-8420. (doi:10.1007/s10670-010-9268-5) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:35942)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10670-...

Abstract

Recently, Ernest Sosa (2007) has proposed two novel solutions to the problem of dream skepticism. In the present paper, I argue that Sosa’s first solution falls prey to what I will refer to as the conditionality problem, i.e., the problem of only establishing a conditional—in this case, “if x, then I am awake,” x being a placeholder for a condition incompatible with dreaming—in a context where it also needs to be established that we can know that the antecedent holds, and as such can infer the consequent, i.e., “I am awake.” Sosa’s second solution, in terms of so-called reflective knowledge, is shown to land him in the dilemma of either facing yet another conditionality problem, or violating an internalist constraint that he explicitly grants the skeptic with respect to what kind of factors can be legitimately invoked in our account of how we may know the relevant antecedent. For these reasons, I conclude that Sosa has not solved the problem of dream skepticism.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1007/s10670-010-9268-5
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Kristoffer Ahlstrom-Vij
Date Deposited: 01 Nov 2013 15:57 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Mar 2023 11:33 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/35942 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Ahlstrom-Vij, Kristoffer.

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