Pick Your Poison: Beg the Question or Embrace Circularity

Abstract: According to Roderick Chisholm (1973, 1983, 1989), there are three ways to respond to the Problem of the Criterion and they all leave something to be desired. Michael DePaul (1988), Paul Moser (1989), and Earl Conee (2004) have each proposed variations of a fourth way of responding to this problem that rely on reflective equilibrium. We argue that these four options for responding to the Problem of the Criterion leave one with a tough choice: accept one of the three that Chisholm describes or DePaul’s reflective equilibrium approach and beg the question or accept a reflective equilibrium response of the sort Conee and Moser propose and embrace epistemic circularity.