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TRUTH AND BELIEF

How do Truths and Beliefs lead towards method of knowing?

Are there examples that show this concept?

Truth and belief are contradictory in terms of being able to "know" something according to the IB

Theory of Knowledge Textbook.

"If you know something, then what you claim to know must be true, but if you merely believe it, then it may be true or may be false"

"when you know something you are in a completely different mental state to when you merely believe it"

“If you know something then what you claim to know must not only be true but you also must believe it to be true".

These two quotations contradict each other due to the fact that :

  • when you know something it is basically meaning that you believe this fact is true; however, believing something is true may be true or false.
  • according to the quotation below, it separates the concepts of belief and knowledge into two different thinking lines which contradicts this concept of actually knowing something is true.
  • It is not logical for a person to claim they know something is true without believing in it.

As you can see it is evident that these two descriptions about belief are contradictory.

  • If you claim to know something it must not only be true but you also must believe it to be true; however, the quotation below states that when you know something you are in a completely different mental state to when you merely believe it.
  • This absence of belief when knowing something contradicts the sense that in order to know something it needs to be true and you need to believe it as well.

These two definitions contradict each other due to the fact that:

  • If you know something, then what you claim to know must be true; however if the truth is believed then it may be true or false.
  • You are required to believe the truth in order for you to know something.
  • Synthesizing the concepts between these two definitions lead a person to think that in order to know something you are required to believe the truth which means the truth is either true or false.
  • It shows that there is no uncertainty into the things you know through truths and beliefs due to the fact that there is an endless cycle of contradictory in how something is known.

From looking at how language is used to define the terms truth and belief, it is fair to say that language as a way of knowing is used to be able to understand how truth and belief combine to prove that you know something. The language used within the IB Theory of Knowledge Textbook was contradictory because of an endless cycle of the ambiguous roles of truth and belief in terms of knowing something. Therefore, it is uncertain how truth and belief play a role in the way of knowing something.

“The existence of a term is given completely within its contradictory relation to the other term of the scission.”

Examples of the difference between truth and belief are superstitions and conspiracies. Superstitions (like 13 being an unlucky number) are almost always without any evidence, but are believed anyway. Conspiracies(like whether Neil Armstrong really landed on the moon), on the other hand, try to supplement beliefs with evidence.

What people believe to be true at one point may be considered absolutely wrong later. This "change of truth" is conveniently called "paradigm shift", to cover up the fact that the truth is no longer true. This plays an improtant role in the acquisition of knowledge.

Works Cited:

Badiou, Alain. "Theory of Contradiction." Versus Laboratory. N.p., n.d. Web. 22

Feb. 2011. <http://versuslaboratory.janvaneyck.nl/app/webroot/uploads/

badiou%20theory%20of%20contr.pdf>.

Lagan, Heather. "Superstitions, Numerology and the Number 13 - Is it Really Bad

Luck?" Ezine Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

<http://ezinearticles.com/

?Superstitions,-Numerology-and-the-Number-13---Is-it-Really-Bad-

Luck?&id=2327815>.

NASA Science. "The Great Moon Hoax." NASA Science: Science News. N.p., n.d.

Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-

nasa/2001/ast23feb_2/>.

What are the various definitions of a belief?

"If you know something, then what you claim to know must be true, but if you merely believe it, then it may be true or may be false"

According to Merriam-Webster, belief is defined as:

  • a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
  • something believed; especially : a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
  • conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence

"My view is that there is such a thing as being too open-minded. I am not too open-minded about the earth being flat, whether Hitler is alive today, about claims by people to have squared the circle, to have proven special relativity wrong." -Douglas Hofstadter

According to the Oxford Dictionary, belief is defined as:

  • an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof

"Truth is independent of what anyone happens to believe is true, and that simply believing that something is true does not make it true"

What is a Truth?

"If you know something then what you claim to know must not only be true but you also must believe it to be true"

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, truth is defined as:

a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true

According to Oxford Dictionary, truth is defined as:

a fact or belief that is accepted as true

Truth can be absolute or relative. Absolute truth means that there is inly one one objective truth, while relative truth implies that there are several truths. Relative truth is an inherently contradictory concept

"when you know something you are in a completely different mental state to when you merely believe it"

Does Nothing Exist?

The Concept of Nothing

Existence

Truth

Belief

Logic

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