Scores for test # 2 will be available Friday in class.

Descriptive Volitionism- holds that it is possible to will a belief, or form a belief through an act of will, to influence the weighing of evidence of beliefs though a conscious desire or decision to do so. We have free will over our beliefs- we can influence what we believe...(a conscious act of will)

Direct Volition- holds that one can just decide to believe and then believe.

Indirect Volition- holds that some things have to be done to will the belief. One can only determine belief by a round about process, doing things which change your belief. A person can, or may want to believe in a proposition, and go about doing many things to get themselves to believe in said proposition.
For Example an individual may want to believe in a particular religion, may begin to attend services for the particular religion...read exhaustive material applicable to said religion, and at a point begin to believe in the religion.

People often use a mental desire to weigh evidence in one's favor.

Alien Example...perhaps a person wants to believe in aliens landing on the planet, even though the evidence suggests to the contrary. The desire is so powerful the person simply chooses to believe in aliens landing by placing an imaginary finger of will on the evidential side supporting alien landings.

Review page 289 on autosuggestion...
Review pages 282-283 the section on direct descript volition. "On the standard model of belief...It is as thought the weighing process exhibited the state of evidence, and then the mind simply registered the state of the scales. ...the volitional model... it is as though the mind recognized the state of the scales but was allowed to choose whether to accept that state or to influence it by putting a mental finger on one side to the other, depending on desire."(Pojman)

Prescriptive Volitionism-It is possible and epistemically justified to form a belief though an act of will.

Pojman poses two arguments against Direct Descriptive Volitionism
*(first he holds that it is psychologically possible to volit as a conscious act, however not common)

1. Phenomenological Argument-
*This argument is introspective. What happens when one believes something and how does it feel? Coming to believe a thing seems to feel different then choosing to lift one's arm up in the air.
*Beliefs are something that happen to you, not something we actively choose. Beliefs are passive.
*Beliefs are a reaction to evidence, background beliefs, and world view. A world view is relied upon when new information come into play, we evaluate using our current world view.
*Believing is more like seeing than looking, more like falling than jumping. To see, is to experience sight, to look is to choose. To fall is an experience, to jump is to choose.
2.Logic of Belief Argument-
*to the extent you admit you hold a belief merely because you want or decide to. You acknowledge you have no rational reason to believe it and should doubt it yet believe anyway.
*Important to remember here...To believe something is to affirm it to be true. A true belief is one which corresponds with reality, with the way the world is.
*There may not be a logical connection between what one wants to believe and what is, i.e. what one desires and the way the world actually is.
*"I believe "p" only because I want "p" to be true." This is a contradiction...it is incoherent.