- published: 21 Dec 2007
- views: 2453952
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.
The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy.
Epistemology is the philosophical study of knowledge and belief. The primary problem in epistemology is to understand exactly what is needed in order for us to have true knowledge. In a notion derived from Plato's dialogue Theaetetus, philosophy has traditionally defined knowledge as "justified true belief". The relationship between belief and knowledge is that a belief is knowledge if the belief is true, and if the believer has a justification (reasonable and necessarily plausible assertions/evidence/guidance) for believing it is true.
A false belief is not considered to be knowledge, even if it is sincere. A sincere believer in the flat earth theory does not know that the Earth is flat. Later epistemologists, for instance Gettier (1963) and Goldman (1967), have questioned the "justified true belief" definition.
Mainstream psychology and related disciplines have traditionally treated belief as if it were the simplest form of mental representation and therefore one of the building blocks of conscious thought. Philosophers have tended to be more abstract in their analysis, and much of the work examining the viability of the belief concept stems from philosophical analysis.
Is it love that you're after?
Don't ever tell you anything?
That's not love, that's confusion
Don't you ever find out anything?
Is it honesty that you're after?
Don't you have it questioning?
That's not honesty, that's delusion
Will you ever find out anything?
Believe me
Believe everything
Believe me
Believe anything (reapeat)
Is it love that you're wanting?
Don't ever tell you anything?
That's not love, that's confusion
Will you ever learn anything?
Is it answers that you're wanting?
Don't you ever find out anything?
Is it anything that you're wanting?
Oh everything
Believe me
Believe everything
Believe me
Believe anything (x8)
Belief
Belief
Belief