BELIEF is not complicated. (Introduction)

by Cary Cook , Tuesday, June 03, 2008, 05:40 (6015 days ago) @ dhw

Concepts: You write: "I am trying to clarify existing concepts. Different interpretations of individual words is one of the things we must get beyond in the effort to clarify concepts. We're not talking about what a word is for me or for you or for anybody. We're talking about what a concept is." This implies that a concept has an objective meaning beyond our linguistic definition of it, - Correct. - >and it also begs the question of who you are trying to clarify concepts for. You can only use language to clarify, so if other people don't understand or misunderstand the individual words you are using, how can they understand what the concept is? - Good point. I must try to use words that mean the same to me and whoever I'm talking to. A concept has one denotative meaning which must be expressed in language in order to be communicated. The term we use to label a concept may have multiple denotative meanings and extraneous connotative meanings. All spoken languages have this problem. But in math and computer languages, one term stands for one thing. In identifying exiting concepts & categories we must do the same. We must ignore all connotative meanings, then agree on which denotative meaning we are talking about, then label it with whatever term is agreeable to both communicants. 
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>You "admit that the term belief is not often...thought of as a decision to act. But a decision to act is the basis of what's implied by the concept belief-2" ... which you define as a voluntary decision to act, and so a decision to act is the basis of what's implied by a voluntary decision to act, which takes us round in a circle. - Correct. It's not intended to prove anything. It's a statement of one term equaling another when they both refer to the same concept. If A = B, then B = A. - The example you go on to give (the decision to pull the trigger) is clear in itself, but I still don't know why you call the decision a belief. - The decision is the mental event where belief-2 is manifest. i.e. The decision is where & when belief-2 comes into existence. Both are mental events that happen simultaneously. If you want to call the decision a separate concept from belief-2, what is the difference? If there are two separate concepts, there must be some difference between them. Otherwise this is a single concept being called by two names. The fact that the words have different connotations is irrelevant.
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The rest of your post has a lot of different points, most of which I addressed above. But to explain why I call belief-2 belief at all, I'll expound on something I already said: - The term, believe, is often used in the imperative mood. E.g. "X is true. Believe me." Obviously it makes no sense to ask or command someone to do something involuntary. Any legitimate request or command is a request or command to do a voluntary act. I would prefer that this concept be labeled by some term other than believe, because it makes for confusion. But tradition has stuck us with it. Apostles Paul & James were confused by this same problem 2000 years ago.
The same issue is evident in these two statements:
...1. Joe believes in fairies.
...2. Joe believes in the US dollar (or British pound).
The first says Joe thinks a particular thing probably exists.
The second says Joe trusts a particular thing. i.e. Joe acts as though a particular thing is true or reliable or worth something. - Does that clarify it?