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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
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
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> >>      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?"