David Hunter, "On Believing: Being Right in a World of Possibilities" (Oxford UP, 2022)
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What is the standard “attitude‑toward‑proposition” view of belief and why does it seem problematic?
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Hello, and thanks for joining us for this episode of New Books and Philosophy, which is part of the New Books Network. I'm Robert Talese. I'm Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. I co-host the program with Carrie Figter, Malcolm Keating, and Sarah Tyson. Today my guest is David Hunter. David is Professor of Philosophy at Toronto Metropolitan University, which is formerly known as Ryerson University. His research lies centrally in philosophy of mind, with special focus on belief, agency, and rationality. His new book has just been published with Oxford University Press. It's titled On Believing, Being Right in a World of Possibilities. According to many standard philosophical accounts, beliefs are a kind of stance one takes towards a proposition.
To believe, for example, that Nashville is in Tennessee is to adopt an attitude of some sort towards the proposition Nashville is in Tennessee. Now, one advantage of this standard view is that it seems clear, or it seems to make clear, how beliefs can be right or wrong. To believe a proposition that's false is to have a false belief, while to believe a proposition that is true is to have a true belief. But in philosophy, things are never simple. And this kind of account occasions significant, in some cases notorious, difficulties.
How does David Hunter introduce his “modal view” of belief as a contrast to the standard account?
Given how central the phenomenon of believing is to everything we do, it may seem odd to say that belief is a real puzzle. but that's where we are. Now, in On Believing, David seeks to sort it all out. He presents a novel view of belief that stands in stark contrast with the standard view I just mentioned. On his view, and I'm quoting, to believe something is to be in a position to do, think, and feel things in light of a possibility whose obtaining would make one right. Now that's a mouthful, but it's philosophically deeply intriguing. And so there's a lot to talk about as there normally is. But before we get to all of the deep and intriguing details, let's begin as we normally do with our guest. Hi, David.
Hi,
Bob. How are
you? I'm doing fine. How are you today?
I'm doing great. Thanks. I really appreciate the chance to talk about my book.
Great. I'm really looking forward to the discussion. We usually begin these episodes with the author saying a little bit about himself. So why don't you tell us a bit about you?
Great. So I started philosophy as an undergrad. I studied at McGill University in Montreal. And I started university studying English lit, thinking I wanted to be a literature professor. And I got excited by literary theory and then took a couple of philosophy classes and decided, wow, philosophers know how to do theory. So, you know, that was it after that.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the standard “attitude‑toward‑proposition” view of belief and why does it seem problematic?
0:00–2:53
2
How does David Hunter introduce his “modal view” of belief as a contrast to the standard account?
2:53–6:16
3
What are the three main parts of Hunter’s book – ontology, limits, and ethics of belief?
6:16–12:18
4
How does Hunter explain belief as a state a person is in rather than a mental representation?
12:18–19:16
5
What role do possibilities play in individuating belief properties in the modal view?
19:16–26:53
6
How does the “creedal illusion” case illustrate the objective limits of belief?
26:53–33:44
7
What are “creedal necessities” and how do they shape the subjective limits of belief?
33:44–41:59
8
How does Hunter connect the ethics of belief to what we ought to know rather than what we have evidence for?
41:59–1:01:17
Speakers
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Daniel Cohnitz and Jussi Haukioja, "Foundations for Metasemantics" (Oxford UP, 2025)
Philippe Huneman, "When Metaphysics Meets Biology: Kantian Approaches to the Concept of An Organism" (Routledge, 2026)
Rivka Weinberg, "The Meaning of It All: Ultimate Meaning, Everyday Meaning, Cosmic Meaning, Death, and Time" (Oxford UP, 2026)
PJ DiPietro, "Sideways Selves Travesti and Jotería, "Struggles Across the Américas" (U Texas Press, 2025)