Everyone believes in something.
Thanks! =0)
2007-07-20 03:51:39 · 31 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It is false. Look up the philosophic stance called 'nihilism'.
I believe nothing and have faith in nothing. Either I have evidence of a thing, and thus know it, or I have no evidence and thus no opinion.
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Meatbot:
The holding of an axiom for the sake of analysis is not belief.
I can identify the three axioms on which I operate -- however, axioms are just the rules of the game. I don't believe in them, because I acknowledge they could be wrong, and belief is the holding of a thing as true.
The three axioms are:
1. Math and logic are valid means of representing knowledge.
2. All observable processes can be known.
3. The supernatural/hypernatural, if it exists, has no bearing on the natural.
I don't believe these things; I don't hold them as being true. I merely hold them as necessary for analysis as they are necessary for knowledge to be attainable. All three could be wrong, and knowledge might be totally unattainable. I'd have no way of knowing if that was the case.
Nihilism is a consistent system of thought which does not operate on belief or faith.
2007-07-20 03:54:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is true, of course. What's true about it... or how can the truth of it be shown? That's tough to say looking from the outside in. We can't even be sure that animals are incapable of belief, can we?
I guess the only way to confirm the truth of the statement, "everyone believes in something," is just to go around asking people.... Even the answer, "No" would indicate that they, in deed, believe that they don't believe anything at all and that is believing in something, after all, isn't it?
[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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2007-07-20 06:09:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It makes sense, but it is not neesarily true. After all, one must believe things exist, inbcluding oneself.
However, I am reminded of a character in a book by Simon R. Green called Jessica Sorrow the Unbeliever. She dis-believes in things so strongly that if she focuses her attention on something, it fails to exist.
edit: I would like to point out that in order for someone to know something, there are three requirements:
1. It must be able to be proven.
2. It must be true.
3. One must believe it.
So to the person that said, they know where their house is, that is also a belief that your house is there. You must believe that you have a house, and that your house is in that location, for you to actually know those things.
;-) I LIKE epistemology.
2007-07-20 07:39:22 · answer #3 · answered by Kharm 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
False
2007-07-20 04:15:46 · answer #4 · answered by Airmech 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's probably true except in the case of unconscious vegetables. But even then, does the mental construct of "belief" exist when the brain is not in a conscious mode? I don't know.
JP: I think that what you know and take to be a fact is actually a belief since you are assuming that the information you take in as evidence corresponds to reality and you are not imagining it.
2007-07-20 03:55:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The statement is very vague. "Everyone" - does that include those who are in a coma? mentally incapable of thinking? depressed, confused, misled? "Believes" - does this include a belief in factual evidence and can 'factual evidence' be considered as a belief? or is it a known? "Something" - does that include things that are real and unreal? cartoons? 'Orgon Energy'? does it include things that aren't known yet?
You see the terms of the statement are so vague that the answer it is true or it is false doesn't have much meaning.
2007-07-20 03:59:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Very true. Atheists believe in things that have been proven. Believers believe in those things, as well as other things that are a matter of faith. I believe I am sitting here at this desk right now because all evidence seems to point to it. lol
2007-07-20 03:58:30 · answer #7 · answered by Linz ♥ VT 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is in the nature of a human being to have beliefs, even if they are as simple as a belief that the sun will in fact come up in the morning. So I would say that the statement is true.
2007-07-20 03:54:53 · answer #8 · answered by essentiallysolo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The statement is true.
Somebody said that when people stop believing in G-d, they start believing in something else.
2007-07-20 03:56:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is true - everyone believes something, even if it to say that they don't believe... then they believe that they don't believe... Seeing you didn't put this down to religion I think it 100% true,
(example... the avatar above me has just implied he/she believes in the meaning of nihilism)
2007-07-20 03:54:51 · answer #10 · answered by Lula Belle 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋