A Dilemma for the Doomsday Argument. (12th June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Northcott, Robert
• Is Part Of: Ratio. Volume 29:Number 3(2016:Sep.)
• Page Start: 268
• Page End: 282
• Publication Date: 2015-06-12
• Subjects: Philosophy -- Periodicals; Analysis (Philosophy) -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1111/rati.12104
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0034-0006

Abstract

Abstract: I present a new case in which the Doomsday Argument ('DA') runs afoul of epistemic intuition much more strongly than before. This leads to a dilemma: in the new case either DA is committed to unacceptable counterintuitiveness and belief in miracles, or else it is irrelevant. I then explore under what conditions DA can escape this dilemma. The discussion turns on several issues that have not been much emphasised in previous work on DA: a concern that I label trumping ; the degree of uncertainty about relevant probability estimates; and the exact sequence in which we integrate DA and empirical concerns. I conclude that only given a particular configuration of these factors might DA still be of interest.