Ravit Dotan (University of California, Berkeley)
Being sensitive to evidence is very important for the success of epistemic endeavors. However, I argue that resistance to evidence is also important. I start the paper by explaining what resistance is and arguing that it is essential for epistemic endeavors because it protects inquirers from distractions and is conducive to achieving goals of inquiries. Then, I argue that resistance cannot be explained away by conditionalization and is different from having high priors. Last, I suggest thinking about resistance as a non-cognitive attitude. This view sheds light on some scientific disagreements. Moreover, it reveals that resistance is another avenue through which values and other non-epistemic factors shape science.
