Consequentialist Epistemology

Abstract

Abstract This chapter starts by giving an overview of the most important structural features of the truth-loving epistemic consequentialist view fleshed out in the previous chapters. It then digs into further defending two of the most novel (and likely most controversial) aspects of the view: (1) the aspect of the view that treats right belief as importantly distinct from justified and rational belief, and (2) the aspect of the view that says that epistemic evaluations apply to things other than belief. In fleshing out the first aspect, the chapter considers different options for how epistemic consequentialists might think about epistemic justification. The chapter then shows how truth-loving epistemic consequentialism can serve not just as a theory of what we should believe but also as the foundation of a broader truth-centric conception of epistemology.