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The Puzzle of the Absent-Minded Driver is Not about Absent-Mindedness, but about Indexical Belief

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  • Wolfgang Spohn

    (University of Konstanz, Department of Philosophy)

Abstract

This paper does not add a novel solution or a novel justification for an existing solution of the puzzle of the absent-minded driver. Rather it wants to set existing solutions into the right perspective. It argues that the puzzle is not about absent-mindedness at all, but about indexically presented indistinguishable alternatives. It identifies a common assumption as one about the relation between beliefs about indexical and non-indexical propositions. So, this is what is involved in the puzzle. This assumption entails the favorite solution of the puzzle and is stated as a general a priori symmetry principle for indexical propositions.

Suggested Citation

  • Wolfgang Spohn, 2025. "The Puzzle of the Absent-Minded Driver is Not about Absent-Mindedness, but about Indexical Belief," Homo Oeconomicus: Journal of Behavioral and Institutional Economics, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 157-169, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:homoec:v:42:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s41412-025-00151-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s41412-025-00151-2
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