What makes a belief true or false

Philosophy

What makes a Belief True or False

Some of our beliefs turn out to be erroneous, and therefore it becomes necessary to consider how, if at all, we can distinguish knowledge from error. This problem does not arise with regard to knowledge by acquaintance, for, whatever may be the object of acquaintance, even in dreams and hallucinations, there is no error involved so long as we do not go beyond the immediate object: error can only arise when we regard the immediate object, i.e. The sense-datum, as the mark of some physical object. Thus the problems connected with knowledge of truths are more difficult than those connected with knowledge of things. As the first of the problems connected with knowledge of truths, let us examine the nature and scope of our intuitive judgments. (Russell, 1997)

All persons have beliefs. Beliefs are very close to all of us and in fundamental ways are related to our concepts of identity. Truth is not a necessity of belief, as the quotation above implies. Meaning, we can believe in things that are both true and false; belief is not predicated on truth or its lack. Belief is more predicated on the associations people have with the particulars and universals by which their beliefs are governed. The associations that people have with the objects of the acquaintance to which particulars and universals refer, exert influence and strength over the person who believes in them.

As the quotation states, some of our beliefs turn out to be in things that we should not believe because they are false. The existence of true and false necessitates that those who care not to be ignorant regarding their beliefs distinguish the difference between what is true and what is false. Such types of people often prefer to believe in things that are true over those that are false, but even if a person chooses to believe in something that is false, it is his or her right to do so, though it can be more of a challenge to have firm belief in something that is known to that person as false. Denial of truth, on the other hand, is an action that is taken and practiced by just as many people who believe in things that are false. Therefore, it is the choice of the individual to determine what his/her beliefs are, determine whether the beliefs are in something true or false, and then to choose whether to believe something is true or false after acquiring the knowledge of its truth or lack thereof.

More so than focusing upon what is true and what is false, the author focuses upon the act, structure, and function of belief. The author is additionally indirectly describing and advocating each individual's search for truth, as well as to challenge and validate beliefs based on that search. What make something true is alignment with universals and less so with particulars.