Description:

 TITLE: The Limitations of Evidence: Epistemic Ties, Parity, and Permissions

Here’s a common thought: rational belief depends on the evidence. While this is plausible, evidence won’t solve all our epistemic problems. Evidence can be scarce, complicated, multi-faceted, and ambiguous. I’ll argue that, for this reason, the rational evidence-follower will encounter epistemic ties. An epistemic tie occurs when two attitudes toward a proposition are equally rational, given the evidence. I will argue that epistemic ties not only occur, but are relatively common. I’ll provide a way to distinguish epistemic ties from cases where withholding belief is rationally required.  I’ll close by suggesting some “tiebreakers” to help us determine what to believe in the face of an epistemic tie.