Joshua Edward Pearson

Joshua Edward Pearson is a Postdoctoral Associate in Philosophy at MIT, specializing in epistemology and philosophy of language. His research focuses on belief, knowledge, and probability, particularly exploring anti-skeptical frameworks and weak belief theories. He is co-teaching 'Theory of Knowledge' (Fall 2024) and 'Ethics in Your Life' (Spring 2025) at MIT. His work challenges traditional principles in belief revision and counterfactual semantics, with a focus on resolving paradoxes through probabilistic and formal methods.

Research interests include the interaction between belief and credence, semantics of conditionals, and epistemological asymmetries in inductive reasoning. Notable contributions address puzzles arising from weak belief theories and their applications to counterfactuals, as well as formal counterexamples to belief revision principles like Anticipation. He also investigates compositional epistemology through thought experiments like the 'Composers' case.

His publications explore topics such as chancy counterfactuals, inductive knowledge asymmetries, and heuristic-driven belief formation. Teaching resources include annotated exemplar papers and guides for philosophy students.