The Stratfordian Belief System

By Michael Dudley

1. A propositional belief (p) William Shakspere of Stratford-upon-Avon was the author William Shakespeare;

2. a second-order belief about that belief – that p is a certainty, beyond doubt and beyond questioning;

3. a host of varying explanatory beliefs each premised on faith and justifying p (e.g., the “lost years”; the “miracle of genius”; key documentary evidence being “now lost”);

4. a reflexive belief that believers in p – themselves – are authoritative and as such cannot be questioned about p;

5. an ethical belief that questioning p is not just factually incorrect but immoral; and

6. a juridical belief that those who question p may justifiably be marginalized by institutions of scholarship.

From: Dudley, Michael. [2022, forthcoming]. “Stratfordian Epistemology and the Ethics of Belief.” The Oxfordian XXIV.

2020, Robin Phillips

2019, Cheryl Eagan-Donovan