Aliosha Barranco Lopez: Hinge-commitments as Arational Beliefs (Under the direction of Ram Neta and Alex Worsnip)Many philosophers assume that a belief can be rational only if the believer's evidence supports it. But this view about rational beliefs faces a prima facie problem: it seems that it cannot explain why beliefs about hinge-propositions-the highly general propositions underlying all our ordinary empirical beliefs-are justified or rational. But if our beliefs about hinge-propositions are not rational, then that might mean that none of the beliefs that presuppose them or entail them are rational either. How can we avoid this consequence?In this dissertation, I develop a view that allows us to avoid this consequence. According to my view: (1) beliefs about hinge-propositions are not subject to any rational evaluation but are, instead, arational, and (2) these beliefs play a special role -that of informing our worldview at its core. This view does not entail that our ordinary empirical beliefs are irrational and is compatible with normativist views about the nature of belief.iv
To Mariska LeunissenYour efforts to make the profession a better place are making a difference. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For all their guidance and mentorship, I would like to thank my dissertation advisory committee: Ram Neta, Alex Worsnip, and Matthew Kotzen. I will always be grateful for how each of you has helped me become a better philosopher. I want to thank Ram and Alex, my co-advisors, for all the hours they spent talking with me about my ideas, challenging them, improving them, and helping me express them as clearly as possible. Your enthusiasm about philosophy and your commitment to mentoring your students was a source of inspiration whenever I was feeling aimless. I would also like to thank my two additional readers, Sarah Stroud and Carla Merino-Rajme, for reading my work and providing valuable comments on it. Furthermore, I owe special thanks to Carla for her constant support and mentorship throughout my time at UNC -there is no single milestone in the program where Carla did not provide me with helpful guidance. I am particularly grateful to a group of friends and colleagues who have carefully read different parts of this work and provided helpful feedback, among them: Dominik Berger, Chris
