Difference between revisions of "Improper belief"
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− | An '''improper belief''' is a [[belief]] that isn't concerned with describing the [[territory | + | An '''improper belief''' is a [[belief]] that isn't concerned with describing the [[territory]]. A proper belief, on the other hand, [[beliefs require observations|requires observations]], gets [[belief update|updated]] upon encountering new [[evidence]], and [[beliefs pay rent|provides practical benefit]] in [[technical explanation|anticipated experience]]. |
Note that the fact that a belief just happens to be true doesn't mean you're right to have it. If you buy a [[lottery]] ticket, certain that it's a winning ticket (for no reason), and it happens to be, believing that was still a mistake. | Note that the fact that a belief just happens to be true doesn't mean you're right to have it. If you buy a [[lottery]] ticket, certain that it's a winning ticket (for no reason), and it happens to be, believing that was still a mistake. | ||
− | + | Improper belief is one of the subjects of the [[Mysterious Answers to Mysterious Questions]] sequence. Types of improper belief discussed there include: | |
− | |||
*[[Free-floating belief]] | *[[Free-floating belief]] | ||
*[[Belief as attire]] | *[[Belief as attire]] | ||
*[[Belief in belief]] | *[[Belief in belief]] | ||
+ | *[[Belief as cheering]] | ||
==Blog posts== | ==Blog posts== | ||
*[http://lesswrong.com/lw/i7/belief_as_attire/ Belief as Attire] | *[http://lesswrong.com/lw/i7/belief_as_attire/ Belief as Attire] | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==See also== | ||
+ | |||
+ | *[[Anti-epistemology]] | ||
+ | *[[Self-deception]] | ||
{{stub}} | {{stub}} | ||
[[Category:Concepts]] | [[Category:Concepts]] |
Latest revision as of 03:31, 30 April 2012
An improper belief is a belief that isn't concerned with describing the territory. A proper belief, on the other hand, requires observations, gets updated upon encountering new evidence, and provides practical benefit in anticipated experience.
Note that the fact that a belief just happens to be true doesn't mean you're right to have it. If you buy a lottery ticket, certain that it's a winning ticket (for no reason), and it happens to be, believing that was still a mistake.
Improper belief is one of the subjects of the Mysterious Answers to Mysterious Questions sequence. Types of improper belief discussed there include: