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Full Idea
Suppose I say that I have given up precisely three beliefs since lunch. An over-coarse individuation could reduce the number to two, and an over-fine one could raise it to four.
Gist of Idea
How do you distinguish three beliefs from four beliefs or two beliefs?
Source
Willard Quine (Propositional Objects [1965], p.144)
Book Ref
Quine,Willard: 'Ontological Relativity and Other Essays' [Columbia 1969], p.144
A Reaction
Obviously if you ask how many beliefs I hold, it would be crazy to give a precise answer. But if I search for my cat, I give up my belief that it is in the kitchen, in the lounge and in the bathroom. That's precise enough to be three beliefs, I think.
| 21801 | Unlike Descartes' atomism, Spinoza held a holistic view of belief [Spinoza, by Schmid] |
| 18969 | How do you distinguish three beliefs from four beliefs or two beliefs? [Quine] |
| 6397 | The concept of belief can only derive from relationship to a speech community [Davidson] |
| 8867 | A belief requires understanding the distinctions of true-and-false, and appearance-and-reality [Davidson] |
| 3491 | Beliefs are part of a network, and also exist against a background [Searle] |
| 3490 | Beliefs only make sense as part of a network of other beliefs [Searle] |
| 3100 | You have to reaffirm all your beliefs when you make a logical inference [Harman] |
| 2502 | How do you count beliefs? [Fodor] |
| 2735 | Could you have a single belief on its own? [Audi,R] |