And yet oddly, all the early scientists were believing Christians, and there are religious people all over the world today who don't think there's a contradiction between their religious belief and their science. — gurugeorge
Whilst 'belief' is a marker for such a huge range of meanings it makes sense to use alternatives for "accepting as true regardless"
And why would you need to believe in empirically observable things, like the body? — uncool
This makes no sense. Looks like you've ran out of arguments, given the evidence that I've laid out before you :) — uncool
As charleton says, there is no doubt that religion exists, however, this doesn't suddenly mean that religious doctrine is any evidence. — uncool
Wouldn't that just be "denial" or "confirmation bias"? Rather than belief, I mean. — x260ad8c12
I was saying you were conflating "belief" with other ideas like denial and confirmation bias.Belief is also accepting as true regardless of the facts.
Exactly. Believing empirical observations is a belief. — BlueBanana
I was saying you were conflating "belief" with other ideas like denial and confirmation bias. — x260ad8c12
Take a look yourself. Belief isn't always "regardless of the facts". It can also be "in light of limited facts". Such as when you need to make a decision given imperfect information, but your tiny brain can't calculate all possible variables and crunch the probabilities, so you act under the belief that something is probably true even though you're acknowledging it may not be.(Please take a look at the dictionary and or Wikipedia on belief)
↪charleton
No, I should have quoted this:
Belief is also accepting as true regardless of the facts.
I was saying you were conflating "belief" with other ideas like denial and confirmation bias. — x260ad8c12
What I said was de facto correct; 'belief is used for taking as true regardless of evidence'. — charleton
I think the religious types would disagree.What's relevant is whether the belief is correct, not whether the person has it. — BlueBanana
Take a look yourself. Belief isn't always "regardless of the facts". It can also be "in light of limited facts". Such as when you need to make a decision given imperfect information, but your tiny brain can't calculate all possible variables and crunch the probabilities, so you act under the belief that something is probably true even though you're acknowledging it may not be. — x260ad8c12
First of all, science doesn't "contrast" belief. Science is quality control. That's all. Belief =/= religion. Belief =/= faith. Belief =/= dogma. Belief == belief. If you believe a scientific model is correct, then you have a belief. And chances are, you'll be proven wrong in the future as more evidence is discovered. If you accept the fact that you don't actually know anything and you can always be proven wrong given more evidence, then your current mental model of the universe is a "belief". — x260ad8c12
Please look on Wikipedia or definitions of belief, before expressing your belief about what you feel belief means.
belief is used for taking as true regardless of evidence
We must note here that unlike the scientific method which generally promotes that we pay attention to evidence, belief permits that people can ignore evidence most of the time. — uncool
And that is another reason why the abolition of belief is a good idea. — charleton
This means that when you mention of theist scientists that express their feelings about the supposed non-contradiction of science and religion, this mention is irrelevant, because science doesn't care about beliefs. — uncool
"...gods are not always particularly good or moral, nor do they always take an interest in human affairs." — Pseudonym
I think you're clutching at straws trying to make a set of extremely disparate religious beliefs fit a model which conveniently explains the widespread adoption of monotheism in rational terms. — Pseudonym
Not sure why you think those quotes are particularly relevant to what we're talking about. My contention is simply that people aren't stupid and have usually come up with the idea of some kind of Absolute/Creator entity (even if they've had all sorts of gods, spirits, etc., some of which may indeed be mad, bad and dangerous to know). It's not rocket science, it's a rational response to the fact of there being anything at all (though of course that doesn't mean it's correct). — gurugeorge
merriam-webster:
- conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence. belief in the validity of scientific statements
- a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing. her belief in God. a belief in democracy. I bought the table in the belief that it was an antique. contrary to popular belief (Notice it says "trust or confidence", but doesn't say "without evidence or proof")
oxforddictionaries:
- Trust, faith, or confidence in (someone or something). ‘a belief in democratic politics’
- An acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. ‘his belief in extraterrestrial life’ (Notice it says "especially", not "exclusively".)
dictionary.cambridge:
- the feeling of being certain that something exists or is true: philosophical beliefs
collinsdictionary:
- If it is your belief that something is the case, it is your strong opinion that it is the case. Scientific models are human interpretations of empirical evidence. Peer review is a process by which other experts examine findings and are either convinced that it is true, or they are not convinced. There will be disagreement and the scientific community is often wrong. Thus, the current scientific model is the "strong opinion" of the majority of the scientific community based on the available evidence. Scientific "facts" are only facts until better facts come along.
wikipedia:
Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty. (Notice it says "with or without", not "without")
— x260ad8c12
Conclusion. Science doesn't replace belief. It is simply a framework for quality control. — x260ad8c12
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