Abstract This paper aims at resolving a puzzle about the persuasiveness of bootstrapping. On the one hand, bootstrapping is not a persuasive method of settling questions about the reliability of a source. On the other hand, our beliefs that our sense apparatus is reliable is based on other empirically formed beliefs, that is, they are acquired via a presumably complex bootstrapping process. I will argue that when we doubt the reliability of a source, bootstrapping is not a persuasive method for coming to believe that the source is reliable. However, when being initially unaware of a source and its reliability, as in the case of forming beliefs about our sense apparatus, bootstrapping can be eventually persuasive.

中文翻译：

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关于自举的说服力之谜

摘要 本文旨在解决一个关于引导程序说服力的难题。一方面，自助法不是解决有关来源可靠性问题的有说服力的方法。另一方面，我们认为我们的感官是可靠的信念是基于其他经验形成的信念，也就是说，它们是通过一个可能复杂的引导过程获得的。我会争辩说，当我们怀疑来源的可靠性时，自举法并不是让人们相信来源可靠的一种有说服力的方法。然而，当最初不知道来源及其可靠性时，例如在对我们的感觉器官形成信念的情况下，自举最终可能具有说服力。