Skip to main content
Log in

Hume's Surprise and the Logic of Belief Changes

  • Published:
Synthese Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

If the logic of belief changes is extended to cover belief states which contain both factual and normative beliefs, it is easily shown that a change of a factual belief (an 'Is') in a mixed belief state can imply a change of a normative belief (an 'Ought') in the same state. With regard to Hume's so-called 'Is-Ought problem', this means that one has to distinguish its statics from its dynamics. When this is done, it becomes clear that changes of factual beliefs can, for rational reasons, have far-reaching normative consequences. Similarly, a change of a factual belief can imply a change of a value belief.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Albert, H.: 1985, Treatise on Critical Reason, Princeton University Press, Princeton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson, J. and M. Furberg: 1984, Språk och påverkan, Doxa, Lund.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergström, L.: 1990, Grundbok i värdeteori, Thales, Stockholm.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gärdenfors, P.: 1988, Knowledge in Flux. Modeling the Dynamics of Epistemic States, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gärdenfors, P.: 1992, 'Belief Revision: An Introduction', Belief Revision (ed. P. Gärdenfors), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. M.: 1961, The Language of Morals, Oxford University Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hempel, C.: 1988, 'Provisoes: A Problem Concerning the Inferential Function of Scientific Theories', Erkenntnis 28, 147–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hume, D.: 1975, A Treatise of Human Nature, Oxford University Press, London (Selby-Bigge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, I.: 1980, 'Ceteris paribus Clauses, Closure Clauses and Falsifiability', Zeitschrift für allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie XI, 17–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindström, S. and W. Rabinowicz: 1991, 'Epistemic Entrenchment with Incomparabilities and Relational Belief Revision', in Fuhrmann and Morreau (eds.), The Logic of Theory Change, Springer, Berlin, pp. 93–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, B.: 1959, The Problems of Philosophy, Oxford University Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, G.: 1993, An Introduction to Ethics. Five Central Problems of Moral Judgement, Hackett, Indianapolis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tranøy, K-E.: 1972, '“Ought” Implies “Can”: A Bridge from Fact to Norm?, Part I', Ratio 14, 116–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tranøy, K-E.: 1975, '“Ought” Implies “Can”: A Bridge from Fact to Norm?, Part II', Ratio 17, 147–75.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Johansson, I. Hume's Surprise and the Logic of Belief Changes. Synthese 117, 275–291 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005179004942

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005179004942

Keywords

Navigation