Knowing requires a justification which is a subjective interpretation. — Hanover
For me it's simple, and not as complicated as most people are making it. We see the actions of animals and humans, and based on these actions we can reasonably infer that they have beliefs apart from statements/propositions. When we communicate these beliefs with one another we use language, but beliefs aren't necessarily dependent on language. Beliefs are only dependent upon language if we want to communicate that belief.
Another way to put it is the following: Pain behavior is not dependent on language, but our talk of pain behavior is. Pain can be observed apart from language, and so can beliefs, both are shown in the acts of both humans and animals.
So to answer your question, "How can I claim to know...?" - I can claim to know based on observation. I don't need to know every aspect of what a belief consists of to draw this conclusion. If you want to be more precise about it that's fine, but just remember that it's not necessary to have a precise definition to be able to talk about these concepts, we do it all the time. The word belief spans a wide array of language-games, so precision, although important, may escape you.
So a person's smile, a dog's growl, and a snakes rattle are all linguistic? Some might disagree, such as those who uphold that language is properly speaking the conveyance of words, be these auditory, tactile, written, or via sign-language ... So next question: what is language? — javra
I'm currently thinking about my belief that I live in the state of Georgia. We'll call this Phenomenal State 1.
I'm sitting around eating popcorn and watching cartoons, not thinking about where I live. We'll call this Phenomenal State 2.
Do I believe that I live in Georgia while in State 2? Sure, I guess, only because I have the same reasons to believe it when I'm thinking about it even when I'm not, but State 1 is different from State 2. — Hanover
How do you see the connection between sense experience and belief? — Srap Tasmaner
Do not confuse yourself.
When one communicates, it is done intentionally. It requires shared meaning. Shared meaning is language.
All communication requires shared meaning.
All shared meaning is language.
All communication requires language. — creativesoul
More importantly, what does this have to do with belief? — creativesoul
But that is just plain utterly inadequate for any in depth discourse about that belief. — creativesoul
I'm pointing out that if they are private, then they are irrelevant; — Banno
It's hard to argue that there can be belief without some accompanying mental state. Its the object of belief: the proposition that is the same across believers, not the experience of believing. — frank
What puzzles me a little though is that you want to call those foundational phenomenal experiences beliefs. How do you see the connection between sense experience and belief? — Srap Tasmaner
The this portion is a proposition. A proposition contains that special verb to be. — frank
You can have all the phenomenal states you like. I'm pointing out that if they are private, then they are irrelevant; and if they are public, they are just the everyday stuff we already talk about - colours and beliefs and such. — Banno
A command: Stand there!
A question: What is that?
These are statements, but not propositions. — Sam26
A statement can be defined as a declarative sentence, or part of a sentence, that is capable of having a truth-value, — IEP on propositional logic
A statement can be defined as a declarative sentence, or part of a sentence, that is capable of having a truth-value, — IEP on propositional logic
The this portion is a proposition. A proposition contains that special verb to be. — frank
,That's another way to word it. — Sam26
, this seemed inaccurate to me. — Sam26
I don't just experience a bird as a single raw image, devoid of beliefs, ideas, anxiety about work, hunger from not having breakfast, etc. A phenomenal qualitative state is an entire experience presenting however it does. It's my internal state at a given time. — Hanover
Taking a step back here: phenomenal states are complex and fleeting; beliefs on the other hand can be simple and persistent. They don't look like the same sort of thing, do they? It's one thing to say that our phenomenal experience is generally accompanied by beliefs, but quite another to say our beliefs are those experiences. — Srap Tasmaner
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