Lecture

Beliefs: Definition and Mechanisms

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In course

HUM-382: Anthropology of belief

Ce cours constitue une introduction à la question des théories complotistes en particulier dans le champ des sciences. ...

Description

This lecture explores the definition of beliefs and how social sciences have developed categories to evoke and understand belief mechanisms. It delves into the distinction between 'teoria' and 'doxa' in Greek language, the influence of beliefs on behavior, the classification of beliefs, the relationship between science and beliefs, and the reasons why individuals continue to hold beliefs despite contradictory evidence.

Instructor

Jean-François Bert

Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Alina Volynskaya Courses Anthropology of belief HUM-382 This course is an introduction to the question of conspiracy theories especially in the field of science Darwin, religion and science HUM-365 This course takes the long history of opponents of Darwin and Darwinism (creationists, neo-creationists, supporters of intelligent design) to try to understand their strategies and arguments. Sciences and religions I HU

Official source

Related concepts (25)

Reason

Reason is the capacity of applying logic consciously by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, mathematics, and art, and is normally considered to be a distinguishing ability possessed by humans. Reason is sometimes referred to as rationality. Reasoning is associated with the acts of thinking and cognition, and involves the use of one's intellect.

Deductive reasoning

Deductive reasoning is the mental process of drawing deductive inferences. An inference is deductively valid if its conclusion follows logically from its premises, i.e. it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false. For example, the inference from the premises "all men are mortal" and "Socrates is a man" to the conclusion "Socrates is mortal" is deductively valid. An argument is sound if it is valid and all its premises are true.

Inductive reasoning

Inductive reasoning is a method of reasoning in which a general principle is derived from a body of observations. It consists of making broad generalizations based on specific observations. Inductive reasoning is distinct from deductive reasoning, where the conclusion of a deductive argument is certain given the premises are correct; in contrast, the truth of the conclusion of an inductive argument is probable, based upon the evidence given.

Logical reasoning

Logical reasoning is a mental activity that aims to arrive at a conclusion in a rigorous way. It happens in the form of inferences or arguments by starting from a set of premises and reasoning to a conclusion supported by these premises. The premises and the conclusion are propositions, i.e. true or false claims about what is the case. Together, they form an argument. Logical reasoning is norm-governed in the sense that it aims to formulate correct arguments that any rational person would find convincing.

Psychology of reasoning

The psychology of reasoning (also known as the cognitive science of reasoning) is the study of how people reason, often broadly defined as the process of drawing conclusions to inform how people solve problems and make decisions. It overlaps with psychology, philosophy, linguistics, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, logic, and probability theory. Psychological experiments on how humans and other animals reason have been carried out for over 100 years. An enduring question is whether or not people have the capacity to be rational.

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