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Single Idea 5806

[filed under theme 11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / a. Beliefs ]

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 Ref

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.


The 10 ideas from 'Naturalizing the Mind'

A mouse hearing a piano played does not believe it, because it lacks concepts and understanding [Dretske]
Representations are in the head, but their content is not, as stories don't exist in their books [Dretske]
Introspection does not involve looking inwards [Dretske]
In a representational theory of mind, introspection is displaced perception [Dretske]
A representational theory of the mind is an externalist theory of the mind [Dretske]
Belief is the power of metarepresentation [Dretske]
Introspection is the same as the experience one is introspecting [Dretske]
Qualia are just the properties objects are represented as having [Dretske]
Some activities are performed better without consciousness of them [Dretske]
All mental facts are representation, which consists of informational functions [Dretske]