Believing in a god

[DavidOdden]

OK, OK, it's symantics...

No, really it's about the actual meanings of words. If I said your car was broken, would you correctly get that I means "Your analysis is wrong"?

They don't "want" to die of cancer, but they "know" they're dying of cancer. And if it's factual knowledge, then it's not a belief. it's a fact.

If a person isn't dying of cancer, they can't know that they are dying of cancer. If a person thinks that 5+2=3, they don't know that 5+2=3. They have a mistaken belief. You can't know something that is false. You can believe it, but you cannot know it. That is the most important difference between knowing and believing, and this is the essence of epistemology -- knowing is grasping reality.

Beliefs = Ignorance of the truth.

That's also mistaken, though you are entitled to your beliefs Believing something is simply "judging to be true", but that belief does not make it true. You can reject a proposition, and therefore you do not believe it, and yet the proposition may be true. You can believe a proposition, and that proposition can be true. If you do believe a true proposition, it isn't ignorance. Ignorance of truth is, simply, not knowing truth.

Obviously, it is silly (but sometimes funny) to say that you hold a weaker position when you hold a stronger one. So I might say "I believe it's snowing now" when I can see that it's snowing, but it would be better to say "I know it's snowing" or simply "It's snowing". I could say, "I believe that you're confused about the meaning of 'belief'", but that is inaccurate, because not only do I believe it, I know it. I do recognize that people speak inaccurately for a reason, because making the weaker statement isn't as blunt of a challenge as the assertion "You are confused about the meaning of 'belief'".

[Whoisjohngalt]

May you be touched by his noodly appendage.

His "meaty" blessings works all the time.

On a more serious note, it is human nature to be rational. If anyone finds "strength" or "courage" by being irrational, he is going against his own nature and it is likely that such irrational beliefs as believing in supernatural entities will be more destructive in the long run.

[kufa]

I can see how it would benefit one to be irrational, but only in an EXTREMELY extremely horrible situation. For example, a man is living in communism. If he followed the rational thought process, he would be incredibly unhappy. It would be almost better for him to be like Andrei in WTL. It would be better for him to think that there is hope, and that he is doing good, than realizing that he faces a horrible situation. I, in that case, would choose to be ignorant over blissful.

[chuckster]

Believing something is simply "judging to be true", but that belief does not make it true.

Exactly! One judges someting to be true and when one judges, they are making an opinion on what they want to be true based on thier knowledge, thoughts and opinions. So a "belief" is nothing more than a synonym for the word "want" or "desire". That's my point.

I do recognize that people speak inaccurately for a reason, because making the weaker statement isn't as blunt of a challenge as the assertion "You are confused about the meaning of 'belief'".

On the contrary, I'm not confused about the meaning of belief.

I just disagree with the over-usage of this despensible superfluous word.

People hide their real thoughts by using words like belief, faith, and hope.

I say people would be better off if they say: I want _________, because I want _________.

Example: I want god to exist because I want it to be true. (or, basically) I want to not be wrong.

If people use a truthful vocabulary, then that's when the people will speak their mind.