One convention that inhibits attempts to understand belief is its customary definition. The word \u201cbelief,\u201d as widely used, refers to opinions or convictions held in the absence of rigorous proof (such as the conviction that the earth is flat, some political or social opinions, and most religious creeds). It is only inconsistently understood as referring to other kinds of assertions\u2014like scientific observations and theories, on the one hand (Shermer, 2013) or faith, on the other (Smith, 1998).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The customary definition\u2019s arbitrary and inconsistent boundary inhibits attempts to understand the full range of concepts that, when accepted, make us who we are. The question, \u201cIs a given concept best described as belief, knowledge, faith, opinion, or something else?\u201d is, I propose, a distraction from more important questions such as, \u201cHow does affirming this concept shape a believer\u2019s perception, emotion, understanding, judgment, or conduct?\u201d \u201cWhat characteristics of the concept in question encourage that result?\u201d \u201cWhat characteristics of the believer\u2014both alone and in conjunction with the characteristics of the concept in question\u2014do so?\u201d \u201cIs it possible to impartially assess a belief\u2019s overall impact?\u201d and \u201cIf so, how?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The definition of \u201cbelief\u201d on this website was chosen to draw attention to those questions and to make them easier to answer. Thus, \u201cbelief,\u201d when used on this website, can refer to any concept that shapes the perception, emotion, understanding, judgment, or conduct of those who affirm it. This definition is silent about the validity of the concept in question. While \u201cbelief,\u201d as that term is used here, can refer to opinions or convictions held in the absence of proof, it can also refer to convictions grounded in meticulous scientific observation or to rigorously tested theories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More simply, \u201cbelief,\u201d as used here, can refer to any assertion that (1) has one or more of the effects described in the above paragraph and that (2) can substitute for \u2018X\u2019 in the sentence, \u201cI believe that \u2018X.\u2019\u201d When used in this way, a belief can be about any subject. We may believe we are\u2014or are not\u2014worthy of love. We may believe that the universe was created 13.8 billion years ago by a \u201cBig Bang\u201d or a geological wink ago by an act of God. We may believe that hard work is the key to success or that luck or privilege determines our fates; that Ford does\u2014or does not\u2014build better trucks than Chevy; that artificial intelligence will\u2014or will not\u2014become self-aware; or that loyalty to humanity should\u2014or should not\u2014trump loyalty to one\u2019s family, tribe, or nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many statements describing faith, facts, knowledge, opinions, hypotheses, theories, assumptions, etc., can (1) affect believers\u2019 perception, emotion, understanding, judgment, or conduct and (2) complete sentences beginning with the words, \u201cI believe that . . .\u201d. Thus, for our purposes, all such statements qualify as beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, not all beliefs are the same. Faith is belief in the absence of evidence. Knowledge is belief thought to be supported by undeniable facts. Hypotheses are beliefs held tentatively. Opinions are beliefs supported as strongly by passion as by evidence. All these species of belief (and all other assertions that both affect believers and satisfactorily complete sentences beginning with the words \u201cI believe that . . .\u201d) can be analyzed using the techniques I will be describing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, the term \u201cbelief,\u201d as used here, does not refer to what people believe in<\/em>. That is because the meaning of \u201cI believe in\u201d is vague. Those who believe in<\/em> a politician may believe the politician will fulfill their campaign promises. However, those who believe in<\/em> a politician may mean something entirely different. They may, for example, believe in<\/em> a politician because they believe the politician is willing to do whatever is necessary (including misrepresenting their intentions) to benefit those the believer cares about. Those who believe in<\/em> God may believe the divine rewards and punishments described in the holy books they revere will be realized. However, they may mean something entirely different. For example, those who say they believe in<\/em> God may mean they believe that a Divine Being exists and cares about us, even though they believe that humanity\u2019s sacred texts misrepresent that Being\u2019s characteristics and desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By allowing comparison of diverse beliefs, this website\u2019s definition makes it easier to discover systematic differences between them. The customary definition, which arbitrarily restricts the range of phenomena considered \u201cbeliefs,\u201d makes it impossible to see those differences. Imagine how unlikely Mendeleev\u2019s creation of the Periodic Table of the Elements would have been if he had assumed that substances differing in color, taste, or odor had no deeper relationships. Imagine how unlikely James Clerk Maxwell\u2019s discovery that electricity, magnetism, and light are manifestations of the same phenomenon would have been had he been blinded by their palpable dissimilarities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defining the range of ideas with which this website is concerned as \u201cbeliefs\u201d\u2014and insisting that the same procedures be employed when assessing, comparing, and discussing all such ideas\u2014also thwarts specious attempts to defend beliefs by claiming that they belong to a protected class of ideas (e.g., by describing them as \u201cfaith \u201dor \u201cknowledge\u201d) as well as specious attempts to denigrate beliefs by alleging that they belong to a class of ideas that is unworthy of respect (e.g., by describing them as \u201csuperstitions\u201d). Moreover, this approach avoids conflicts over who has the authority to categorize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The absurdity of such conflicts was highlighted by the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire in his Philosophical Dictionary <\/em>(1764), in which he wrote, \u201cIt is difficult to mark the limits of superstition. A Frenchman travelling in Italy finds almost everything superstitious, and is hardly mistaken. The Archbishop of Canterbury maintains that the Archbishop of Paris is superstitious; the Presbyterians make the same reproach against His Grace of Canterbury, and are in their turn treated as superstitious by the Quakers, who are the most superstitious of all in the eyes of other Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n EXERCISE 2:<\/strong> The first step in deepening your understanding of how beliefs function and how they affect you is to identify a few \u201cpractice\u201d beliefs you are willing to examine. This exercise is designed to help you do just that. Be sure to write down your beliefs and keep them handy. You will be referring to them repeatedly as you progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you acquaint yourself with this way of thinking about beliefs, be sure to phrase beliefs you are considering examining in the form \u201cI believe that \u2018X\u201d (where \u2018X\u2019 is your belief). You can, of course, add modifiers to such sentences. Thus, if you believe something reluctantly, you can say, \u201cI reluctantly believe that \u2018X,\u2019\u201d and if you are uncertain about something, you can say, \u201cI tentatively believe that \u2018X.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I suggest you identify between two and five beliefs you find intriguing, are open to seeing differently, and are willing to discuss with trusted friends, advisors, or members of online forums. At least one of those beliefs should be one you share with a political, religious, cultural, professional, familial, or social group with which you identify. (If you are not aware of shared beliefs you are open to seeing differently, choose a shared belief that, while you are committed to seeing it as you do, you find intriguing and are willing to discuss.) You can, of course, identify additional candidates for examination later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may find worthy practice belief candidates among:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Beliefs you find painful. Since our subjective sense of certainty bears little relationship to the confidence our beliefs merit, feel free to consider beliefs you think of as unquestionable truths. Moreover, since many pernicious beliefs protect themselves by prohibiting critical appraisal, you may wish to consider defying such prohibitions by boldly including beliefs you have been taught it is wrong to question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Things you believe but wish you did not. Again, do not hesitate to include beliefs on this list because you view them as unquestionably true or are concerned that examining them might be rude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Beliefs you find intellectually troubling or unreasonable. While such beliefs may seem trivial, they may be more influential than you realize. As Quine and Ullian pointed out in The Web of Belief<\/em> (1970), almost every belief is held in place by other beliefs. A change in a false or groundless belief, however minor, may free related beliefs to change or compel them to do so, creating cascades of associated corrections. And as Michael Shermer (2011) has argued, such cascades may have significant and surprising consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Beliefs you rely on to help you achieve your most important goals. The following steps may help you identify some of those beliefs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identify one or two goals that are important to you. Goals, as I am using the term here, are imprecisely specified outcomes. Some examples of goals are achieving vocational success, having satisfying friendships, maintaining health or fitness, having happy intimate and familial relationships, finding joy in life, being a good person, having a rewarding religious or spiritual life, contributing to your community, and making the world a better place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identify (and consider examining) one or two beliefs that lead you to consider these goals important. Let us imagine that personal happiness is one of your goals. Among beliefs that might lead you to view that goal as important are \u201cEveryone deserves to be happy\u201d and \u201cGod wants me to be happy.\u201d Beliefs that might lead you to view the goal of achieving justice as important are, \u201cIt is my religious duty to help God heal the world,\u201d or \u201cReal peace is impossible in the absence of real justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identify one or two objectives associated with each of your goals. Objectives, as I am using the term here, are concrete (and, ideally, measurable) steps you can take to achieve your goals. Thus, if your goal were \u201cpersonal happiness,\u201d your objectives might include getting a satisfying job, avoiding debt, living in a low-crime neighborhood, belonging to a faith community, maintaining a positive attitude, or having close friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identify (and consider examining) one or two beliefs that lead you to think achieving these objectives will help you achieve your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to note that this process may lead you to reexamine unquestioned assumptions, longstanding prejudices, and other change-resistant habits of thought. Exploring even the most benign belief is likely to be challenging. Therefore, I suggest you avoid tackling sensitive issues on your first go-round. You can examine more challenging beliefs later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Beliefs You May Wish to Examine<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I recommend using your own beliefs to develop belief analysis skills, you may, at some later point, want to examine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Beliefs others are trying to \u201csell\u201d you (like political beliefs, religious beliefs, and beliefs about who you or others \u201creally\u201d are). Please note:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the sales pitch is clumsy or you find the belief implausible, it probably makes you uncomfortable. With luck, a methodical examination will relieve your discomfort by providing you with compelling answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the sales pitch is subtle or you find the belief plausible, you may confuse the belief it is selling with \u201ctruth.\u201d Methodical examination of such beliefs is likely to be challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a belief\u2019s advocates discourage critical thought, defend it with personal attacks or other unsound arguments, or discourage consideration of competing perspectives, you may want to critically examine the positions they advocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Beliefs you suspect of harming friends, family members, or the broader community. Note, however, that analysis of such beliefs requires understanding believers well enough to accurately divine both the guidance they rely on their beliefs to provide and the guidance their beliefs, as they understand them<\/em>, actually provide. Such analyses are invariably tricky and uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Final Note<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a to-be-examined belief contains something like a \u201cshould\u201d or \u201cmust,\u201d you may want to consider rephrasing it as one or more \u201cif-then\u201d statements (perhaps accompanied by a statement of desirability). Thus, \u201cI should lose weight\u201d could be rephrased as \u201cIf I lose weight, my odds of heart disease and cancer will decrease,\u201d and \u201cReducing my odds of heart disease and cancer is a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, you may want to consider rephrasing beliefs about the past to highlight their relevance to the present. For example, I believe that Adolph Hitler\u2019s Nazi regime and its collaborators systematically murdered about six million Jews in death camps and extermination chambers. That belief is relevant to the present because it leads me to believe that Utopian political and religious movements that portray outsiders as inferior are capable of unspeakable evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n REFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Quine, W. V., & Ullian, J. S. (1970). The Web of Belief. New York: Random House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shermer, M. (2011). The Believing Brain. New York: Henry Holt and Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shermer, M. (2013, October 1). Why We Should Choose Science over Beliefs: Ideology needs to give way. Retrieved from Scientific American: https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/why-we-should-choose-science-over-beliefs\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smith, W. C. (1998). Faith and Belief: The Difference Between Them. Oxford, England: Oneworld Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One convention that inhibits attempts to understand belief is its customary definition. The word \u201cbelief,\u201d as widely used, refers to opinions or convictions held in the absence of rigorous proof (such as the conviction that the earth is flat, some political or social opinions, and most religious creeds). It is only inconsistently understood as referring … Continue reading “Article 2: A Convention that Inhibits Understanding: The Customary Definition of Belief”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":5,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-36","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1057,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36\/revisions\/1057"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
BECOMING MORE AWARE OF YOUR BELIEFS<\/strong>
AND CHOOSING A FEW TO EXAMINE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n