Belief
Belief
Belief (/bɪˈliːf/) is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.
Etymology
The term "belief" comes from the Old English word geleafa, meaning "trust, faith, confidence, reliance."
Definition
Belief is a mental attitude that some proposition is true. For every given proposition, every person either believes it, disbelieves it, or suspends judgment about it. It is the mental acceptance or conviction in the truth or actuality of something.
Related Terms
- Faith: Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
- Opinion: A view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
- Conviction: A firmly held belief or opinion.
- Assumption: A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
- Presumption: An idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not known for certain.
Types of Belief
Beliefs can be categorized into different types:
- Descriptive Beliefs: These are beliefs that describe the way things are. For example, "I believe that it is raining."
- Normative Beliefs: These are beliefs that express a value judgment. They describe the way things ought to be. For example, "I believe that lying is wrong."
- Religious Beliefs: These are beliefs about the existence and nature of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of religion and science.
Belief Systems
A belief system is a set of mutually supportive beliefs. The beliefs of any such system can be classified as religious, philosophical, political, ideological, or a combination of these.
- Religion: A belief system that is based on faith and/or belief in the existence of a supreme being.
- Philosophy: A belief system that is based on the study of fundamental questions about existence, reality, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and ethics.
- Politics: A belief system that is based on the activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power.
- Ideology: A belief system that is a collection of normative beliefs and values that an individual or group holds for other than purely epistemic reasons.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Belief
- Wikipedia's article - Belief
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