Defending Epistemic Responsibility

The claim that we have epistemic responsibilities, and that we can be blameworthy for failing to meet those responsibilities, has recently been challenged by a number of theorists on the grounds of nonvolunteerism: the claim that we do not have control over our beliefs. I argue that previous responses to this challenge fail to adequately address the problem and, furthermore, provide ancillary reasons to desire a proper defense of epistemic responsibility. I then argue that, despite earlier challenges, we can be responsible and blameworthy for our beliefs, and that this responsibility is properly considered to be epistemic in nature.