Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
12-2022
Abstract
Many philosophers appeal to the “fallacy of approximation”, or “problem of second best”. However, despite the pervasiveness of such appeals, there has been only a single attempt to provide a systematic account of what the fallacy is. We identify the shortcomings of this account and propose a better one in its place. Our account not only captures all the contexts in which approximation-based reasoning occurs but also systematically explains the several different ways in which it can be in error.
Keywords
fallacy of approximation, problem of second best, ranking, value theory, philosophy of economics, reasoning, ideal theory
Discipline
Economic Theory | Philosophy
Research Areas
Economic Theory; Political Science; Humanities
Publication
Erkenntnis
First Page
1
Last Page
20
ISSN
0165-0106
Identifier
10.1007/s10670-022-00642-7
Citation
HAMMERTON, Matthew, & PATRA, Sovan.(2022). What is the fallacy of approximation?. Erkenntnis, , 1-20.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3671
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
http://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-022-00642-7