Full Idea
Belief is the power of metarepresentation.
Clarification
'Meta-' means 'up a level'
Gist of Idea
Belief is the power of metarepresentation
Source
Fred Dretske (Naturalizing the Mind [1997], §2.3)
Book Reference
Dretske,Fred: 'Naturalizing the Mind' [MIT 1997], p.53
A Reaction
Hm. I have always defined belief as 'commitment to truth', and this definition leaves out both parts. Where is the commitment? If hope is another metarepresentation, how does it differ from belief? I imagine things, not believing them to be true.