For one, he didn't speak to the nature of human reason relative to the relationships of human belief systems. — 3017amen
"Religion is not, as Hegel thought, the revelation of the Infinite in the finite; rather, it is the self-discovery by the finite of its own infinite nature. God is the form in which the human spirit first discovers its own essential nature." (Harvey 1995, 27) — j0e
And mere belief that which is merely claimed. Unsupportable and unprovable, in some cases the unprovability being an essential feature. Religion an obvious source but also experience, practice, common sense, collected community wisdom: all these used not as ground but to underpin argument by claiming to stand as proofs of premises: all these, then, great impersonators of reason. For if they were objects of reason, then they would be provable, thus no longer mere beliefs. — tim wood
I take your "nature" to be the question "what it means to be." I don't know anything about non-human belief systems. And for present purpose I see no useful distinction to be made between a "belief system" and just a belief. Further, as a belief is in some sense an expression about something not existing independent of the mind that holds it, it makes sense to ask at the same time what it means to be a person (the mind) who holds the belief. This reduces your question to: what does it mean to be a person who holds a belief, this imo being simpler, clearer, and more straightforward.What is the nature of human belief systems? — 3017amen
"Religion is not, as Hegel thought, the revelation of the Infinite in the finite; rather, it is the self-discovery by the finite of its own infinite nature" — j0e
The nature of belief systems, to return to your question as asked, is that they are exemplary fictions useful, if at all, for guidance. And I add that, being fictive, it's best to take some care in the use and consumption thereof, because in their nature as grounds for anything real, they are really toxic. In this sense, belief perhaps - maybe - as medicine. But too often a kind of psychotropic drug. — tim wood
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