Avram Hiller
Biographic Data
| ID | 1313803 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Avram Hiller |
| GIVEN NAMES | Avram |
| FAMILY NAME | Hiller |
| SIGNATURE | HILLER A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Portland State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4110-0166 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 7 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 13 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 7 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The Testimonial Double Bind for Disabled People
Disabled people face a testimonial double bind: Either (1) they give entirely positive testimony about their disability, which may not be believed, or (2) they give some negative testimony about their disability, which either (2a) may not be believed, (2b) will risk reinforcing false and harmful stereotypes, or (2c) will risk damaging disability rights. While (1) has been discussed to a significant extent in the literature, (2) has been discussed…
How to Save Pascal (and Ourselves) From the Mugger
In this article, we re-examine Pascal's Mugging, and argue that it is a deeper problem than the St. Petersburg paradox. We offer a way out that is consistent with classical decision theory. Specifically, we propose a "many muggers" response analogous to the "many gods" objection to Pascal's Wager. When a very tiny probability of a great reward becomes a salient outcome of a choice, such as in the offer of the mugger, it can be discounted on the c…
How Does Disability Affect Wellbeing? A Literature Review and Philosophical Analysis
The question of how disability affects wellbeing has occupied a number of philosophers in recent years. However, this literature has proceeded without a careful examination of the fairly vast empirical research on the topic. In this paper, I review the scholarly literature and discuss some philosophically-relevant aspects of it. On average, those with disabilities have a significantly lower level of wellbeing than those without disabilities. Furt…
Epistemic Structure in Non-Summative Social Knowledge
How a group G can know that p has been the subject of much investigation in social epistemology in recent years. This paper clarifies and defends a form of non-supervenient, non-summative group knowledge: G can know that p even if none of the members of G knows that p, and whether or not G knows that p does not locally supervene on the mental states of the members of G. Instead, we argue that what is central to G knowing that p is whether G has a…
The Unusual Logic of Hurka's Recursive Account
Thomas Hurka, in his book Virtue, Vice, and Value and elsewhere, develops a recursive analysis of higher-order pleasures and pains. The account leads Hurka to some potentially controversial conclusions. For instance, Hurka argues on its basis that some states are both good and evil and also that the view he calls the conditionality view is false. In this paper, I argue that Hurka’s formulation of the recursive account is unusual and inelegant, an…
Climate Change and Individual Responsibility
Several philosophers claim that the greenhouse gas emissions from actions like a Sunday drive are so miniscule that they will make no difference whatsoever with regard to anthropogenic global climate change (AGCC) and its expected harms. This paper argues that this claim of individual causal inefficacy is false. First, if AGCC is not reducible at least in part to ordinary actions, then the cause would have to be a metaphysically odd emergent enti…
Safety and epistemic luck
Safety and epistemic luck
The Testimonial Double Bind for Disabled People
Disabled people face a testimonial double bind: Either (1) they give entirely positive testimony about their disability, which may not be believed, or (2) they give some negative testimony about their disability, which either (2a) may not be believed, (2b) will risk reinforcing false and harmful stereotypes, or (2c) will risk damaging disability rights. While (1) has been discussed to a significant extent in the literature, (2) has been discussed…
Safety and epistemic luck
Climate Change and Individual Responsibility
Several philosophers claim that the greenhouse gas emissions from actions like a Sunday drive are so miniscule that they will make no difference whatsoever with regard to anthropogenic global climate change (AGCC) and its expected harms. This paper argues that this claim of individual causal inefficacy is false. First, if AGCC is not reducible at least in part to ordinary actions, then the cause would have to be a metaphysically odd emergent enti…
The Unusual Logic of Hurka's Recursive Account
Thomas Hurka, in his book Virtue, Vice, and Value and elsewhere, develops a recursive analysis of higher-order pleasures and pains. The account leads Hurka to some potentially controversial conclusions. For instance, Hurka argues on its basis that some states are both good and evil and also that the view he calls the conditionality view is false. In this paper, I argue that Hurka’s formulation of the recursive account is unusual and inelegant, an…
How Does Disability Affect Wellbeing? A Literature Review and Philosophical Analysis
The question of how disability affects wellbeing has occupied a number of philosophers in recent years. However, this literature has proceeded without a careful examination of the fairly vast empirical research on the topic. In this paper, I review the scholarly literature and discuss some philosophically-relevant aspects of it. On average, those with disabilities have a significantly lower level of wellbeing than those without disabilities. Furt…
Epistemic Structure in Non-Summative Social Knowledge
How a group G can know that p has been the subject of much investigation in social epistemology in recent years. This paper clarifies and defends a form of non-supervenient, non-summative group knowledge: G can know that p even if none of the members of G knows that p, and whether or not G knows that p does not locally supervene on the mental states of the members of G. Instead, we argue that what is central to G knowing that p is whether G has a…
The Testimonial Double Bind for Disabled People
Disabled people face a testimonial double bind: Either (1) they give entirely positive testimony about their disability, which may not be believed, or (2) they give some negative testimony about their disability, which either (2a) may not be believed, (2b) will risk reinforcing false and harmful stereotypes, or (2c) will risk damaging disability rights. While (1) has been discussed to a significant extent in the literature, (2) has been discussed…
How to Save Pascal (and Ourselves) From the Mugger
In this article, we re-examine Pascal's Mugging, and argue that it is a deeper problem than the St. Petersburg paradox. We offer a way out that is consistent with classical decision theory. Specifically, we propose a "many muggers" response analogous to the "many gods" objection to Pascal's Wager. When a very tiny probability of a great reward becomes a salient outcome of a choice, such as in the offer of the mugger, it can be discounted on the c…
Epistemology (6 works) · Philosophy (6 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics (3 works) · Psychology (3 works) · Mathematical economics (2 works) · Mathematics (2 works) · Political science (2 works) · Ableism (1 work) · Advertising (1 work)