[extropy-chat] HISTORY: Solved & Unsolved Riddles

[Brett Paatsch]

Harvey Newstrom wrotes:

> 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. 

Exactly!!

> A belief is what is inside someone's head.  It means "I think..."

Then please keep it there and don't express it. It harmless if
you don't express it. Its not harmless if you do. If you do you
endorse believing not just for yourself but for others. 

> 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. 

You have someone in mind don't you Harvey :-)

> The word has a clear, precise meaning that is
> not the same as these other words. 

Its not precise. 

Here's a link to an online thesaurus http://thesaurus.reference.com/.
Look in it and count the number of hits. Are all the synonyns also
synonyms for each other do you think?

> .. 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.

Sadly perhaps you are right Harvey. Perhaps you are a true
believer. I'm pretty sure we all start out that way its just a
question of  whether we grow or wean ourselves off it or not.  

Regards,
Brett
[taking a tennis break]