Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site mhuxt.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!qantel!ihnp4!houxm!mhuxt!js2j From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag) Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Consistency (paradox resolved.) Message-ID: <1272@mhuxt.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Nov-85 10:03:41 EST Article-I.D.: mhuxt.1272 Posted: Thu Nov 7 10:03:41 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 16:01:14 EST References: <2449@sjuvax.UUCP> <546@ihwpt.UUCP> <318@umich.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 32 > >> S1. Take any particular belief of mine that you choose; I hold > >> that belief to be true, since that's what it means for something to > >> *be* a belief. > >I would dis-sent on S1 on the basis of incompleteness. Saying that > >something is a "belief" ALSO acknowledges that you do not KNOW that > >it is true and that you suspect that it, in fact, may not be true; > >otherwise, I contend that you would say that you KNOW that it is > >true. (e.g. I KNOW that I am typing this message; I BELIEVE that > >you will comprehend its meaning). > > It does seem that when a person says "I believe so-and-so" he is admitting > to some uncertainty, but this is only a connotation of the word > "belief" and not strictly part of its meaning. Well, even using this definition of 'belief', the paradox can be resolved. I have certain beliefs. I believe that under the assumptions of ordinary arithmatic, 1+1=2. I believe that under the assumptions of plane geometry, the pythagorean theorem is true. I do not hold the belief that any of these beliefs are in fact false. I *assume* many things about the phenomena called the 'real world'. Though I have never seen it, I *assume* that the Golden Gate bridge exists. Though I haven't seen it since a couple of hours ago, I assume that my apartment still exists. I assume that some of my assumptions may be wrong. There is no paradox, as long as you don't go around believing just anything. In particular, I have no proof that the 'real world' is anything more than a subjective phenomena, thus it would be impossible to hold any beliefs concerning it. (That the real world exists is an assumption I have found very useful, but it is an assumption, nonetheless.) -- Jeff Sonntag ihnp4!mhuxt!js2j "What would Captain Kirk say?"