Understanding beliefs
By: Nils J. Nilsson
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Language: eng
Number of pages: 151
ISBN-13: 9780262526432
Subjects: Belief and doubt
Description: "Our beliefs constitute a large part of our knowledge of the world. We have beliefs about objects, about culture, about the past, and about the future. We have beliefs about other people, and we believe that they have beliefs as well. We use beliefs to predict, to explain, to create, to console, to entertain. Some of our beliefs we call theories, and we are extraordinarily creative at constructing them. Theories of quantum mechanics, evolution, and relativity are examples. But so are theories about astrology, alien abduction, guardian angels, and reincarnation. All are products (with varying degrees of credibility) of fertile minds trying to find explanations for observed phenomena. In this book, Nils Nilsson examines beliefs: what they do for us, how we come to hold them, and how to evaluate them."--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.