Beyond exemption: Reassessing the moral agency of delusional patients in light of Lisa Bortolotti’s epistemic innocence

Date of Publication

7-9-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Philosophy

Subject Categories

Philosophy

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Philosophy

Abstract/Summary

A patient with delusions forms a belief that is characterized as a fixed belief that is resistant to counterevidence. This kind of belief is a usual criterion for violating the rationality condition, and failing to satisfy this condition authorizes a person to be exempted from moral agency. The prominent views suggest that delusional patients are not moral agents because of irrationality. On the contrary, even though delusional beliefs challenge an agent's capability to deliberate actions according to moral norms, they do not totally diminish the sense of agency. However, this thesis will offer Lisa Bortolotti’s framework of Epistemic Innocence, which could present a middle ground by recognizing the delusional beliefs for a pragmatic assessment of moral agency. As Bortolotti argues, delusional beliefs play a certain role in maintaining the sense of agency that helps the patients fulfill their epistemic goals. Mentally ill patients with delusions are still moral agents by virtue of their epistemically functional beliefs because it helps them retain their sense of agency to conform to moral norms. This thesis will explore how psychiatric delusional disorders challenge the notion of moral agency and how epistemically functional delusions maintain this sense of agency. Through this, it will unveil the rigid conception of agency of delusional patients that will broaden our view on the concepts of epistemology, ethics, and mental health conditions.

Keywords: delusional beliefs, epistemology, epistemic functionality, epistemic innocence, ethics, mental health

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Keywords

Delusions; Knowledge, Theory of; Epistemics; Ethics; Mental health; Lisa Bortolotti

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Embargo Period

8-9-2026

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