Causes and Effects of Irrational or Pathological Beliefs

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H06998
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Philosophy/Ethics
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Miyazono Kengo 広島大学, 総合科学研究科, 准教授 (20780266)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-08-26 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 信念 / 妄想 / 不合理性 / 精神疾患

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this project is to explain the causes and the effects of irrational and/or abnormal beliefs. The subproject 1 aims to explain the cause of abnormal beliefs (i.e., delusions). I proposed a hybrid theory of delusion formation, which combines the basic ideas of two influential theories; i.e., two-factor theory and prediction-error theory. The subproject 2 aims to explain the behavioural consequences of irrational beliefs or, more precisely, the the irrational incoherence between beliefs and behavioural outputs. I argue that many cases of belief-behaviour incoherence are explained in terms of what Ruth Millikan calls 'pushmi-pullyu representations' (PPRs).The outcomes of this project are incorporated in two forthcoming books from Routledge and Polity.

Free Research Field

哲学