[extropy-chat] HISTORY: Solved & Unsolved Riddles

[Harvey Newstrom]

R.Coyote wrote,
> how about:
> 
> I assert, hold, reserve, adhere. maintain, retain, establish, affirm, 
> attest adjure, announce, argue,  asseverate, authenticate, aver, bear 
> out, bear witness, certify, confirm, corroborate, countersign, 
> declare, demonstrate, display, exhibit, give evidence, indicate, 
> prove, ratify, seal, show, substantiate, support, sustain, swear, 
> testify, uphold, verify, vouch, warrant, witness?

Most, if not all, of these words fail to convey a belief.  A belief is what
is inside someone's head.  It means "I think..."  It does not have to be
connected to any of the other actions you describe above.  It may be true
that the above action may be more useful or stronger in a debate, but they
are not the same thing.  Sometimes, when a person says "I believe...", that
is exactly what they mean.  The word has a clear, precise meaning that is
not the same as these other words.  The only acceptable replacement I have
found so far is "I think...."  I will concede that saying "I think...."
sounds better than "I believe...." to non-religious people.  But I can think
of no scientific argument why my "thoughts" deserve a different word than
someone else's "beliefs" other than sheer arrogance that my conclusions are
a totally different order of knowledge than theirs.

-- 
Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, CISA, CISM, IAM, IBMCP, GSEC
Certified IS Security Pro, Certified IS Auditor, Certified InfoSec Manager,
NSA Certified Assessor, IBM Certified Consultant, SANS Certified GIAC
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