Why Should Warrant Persist in Demon Worlds?
Peter J. Graham
Abstract
In ‘Perceptual Entitlement’ (2003) Burge argues that a perceptual competence that is reliable in normal conditions when functioning normally confers prima facie warrant when functioning normally in any conditions, and so a normal functioning perceptual competence continues to confer warrant even when the individual is unknowingly massively deceived, such as in a brain-in-a-vat or a “demon world” scenario. This chapter critically examines Burge’s explanation. Burge’s explanation does not adequately explain why warrant should persist outside of normal conditions, and so why warrant should persist in demon worlds. The chapter distinguishes between bounded versus non-bounded normal conditions reliabilism to explain why Burge’s account falls short. According to bounded reliabilism, perceptual warrant does not persist outside of normal conditions. According to unbounded reliablism, it does. The chapter distinguishes two grades of warrant in terms of the distinction between bounded and unbounded reliabilism. With these two grades of warrant, one can then explain why warrant should persist in demon worlds.