Abstract

What Is Belief?
Richards, I. A. | July 18, 1934 issue

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First, there is the sense in which to know what a belief is would be to know its ultimate nature. In this sense, evidently, none knows what anything is. So this is not the kind of ignorance which is troublesome with beliefs. In fact, this seems a singularly supportable kind of ignorance that troubles none but metaphysicians. Next is the sense in which not to know what a belief is, is simply to lack some piece of available information. This kind of ignorance, again, is not the kind which is troublesome here. For this kind of ignorance is easily removed. If a Tibetan, for example, does not know what an oyster is, one can send for one and explain it to him and for all necessary purposes he will then know what an oyster is.

See Also:

BELIEF & doubt; TIBETANS; METAPHYSICS; PHILOSOPHY; COSMOLOGY; PHILOSOPHY of mind
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