Single Idea 5426

[catalogued under 11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / b. Elements of beliefs]

Full Idea

A belief or judgement relates a mind to several things other than itself.

Gist of Idea

Belief relates a mind to several things other than itself

Source

Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch.12)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.73


A Reaction

Presumably we must say that if I believe that (say) 'x exists', this is relating x to the universal 'exists'. If so, Russell's point becomes a bit of a tautology. We believe propositions, which are combinations of concepts, so are multiple.

Related Idea

Idea 21711 Russell's 'multiple relations' theory says beliefs attach to ingredients, not to propositions [Russell, by Linsky,B]