Full Idea
To 'accept' a theory is not to believe it, but is instead to believe it to be empirically adequate.
Gist of Idea
To 'accept' a theory is not to believe it, but to believe it empirically adequate
Source
report of Bas C. van Fraassen (The Scientific Image [1980]) by Alexander Bird - Philosophy of Science Ch.4
Book Reference
Bird,Alexander: 'Philosophy of Science' [UCL Press 2000], p.143
A Reaction
The second half of this doesn't avoid the word 'belief'. Nevertheless the suggestion is that we never believe (i.e. commit to truth) ever again. So you avoid an on-coming bus because the threat appears to be 'empirically adequate'. Hm.