{"product_id":"belief-inference-and-the-self-conscious-eric-marcus-9780192845634","title":"Belief, Inference, and the Self-Conscious Mind","description":"It is impossible to hold patently contradictory beliefs in mind together at once. Why? Because we know that it is impossible for both to be true. This impossibility is a species of rational necessity, a phenomenon that uniquely characterizes the relation between one person's beliefs. Here, Eric Marcus argues that the unity of the rational mind--what makes it one mind--is what explains why, given what we already believe, we \u003cem\u003ecan't\u003c\/em\u003e believe certain things and \u003cem\u003emust\u003c\/em\u003e believe certain others in this special sense. What explains this is that beliefs, and the inferences by which we acquire them, are constituted by a particular kind of endorsement of those very states and acts. This, in turn, entails that belief and inference are essentially \u003cem\u003eself-conscious\u003c\/em\u003e: to hold a belief or to make an inference is at the same time to know that one does. An examination of the nature of belief and inference, in light of the phenomenon of rational necessity, reveals how the unity of the rational mind is a function of our knowledge of ourselves as bound to believe the true. Rational self-consciousness is the form of mental togetherness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Eric Marcus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0192845632\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780192845634\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/24\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 172\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.14lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.40w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2022","brand":"Eric Marcus","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44522648764671,"sku":"9780192845634","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_ee3a6f4a-d693-4fed-91bb-5f4ae963c19f.jpg?v=1700158355","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/belief-inference-and-the-self-conscious-eric-marcus-9780192845634","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}