[squirrelicus]

I'm genuinely interested in what you think belief is. I've talked to thousands on the internet and about a hundred in person deeply about epistemology and religion, and read even more, and you're the first person I've read that disparages the concept of belief in general.

Is English your first language?

[websitescenes]

Belief is similar to an idea but a little different. An idea is similar to a theory while belief is more similar to an absolute. This is why belief goes hand in hand with religion and faith; which are two other concepts that I dislike. Thinking an idea may be true is vastly different than knowing so. When someone “knows” something is true they can almost never be convinced otherwise. Belief in a religion or an inherent superiority has enabled the great atrocities of our world and that is the main reason for my dislike of the concept. I would be naive to think that I do not have beliefs and it’s important to note that I am not devoid of belief but it is something I work towards eliminating in my life. Ask any militant, religious fanatic or terrorist what they BELIEVE in and you’ll quickly realize that people are willing to die for some pretty ridiculous things. Someone has taken their trusting demeanor and convinced them into the belief that they are righteous and justified in their actions. Today in America that force is Network Television. They repeat and repeat until one believes. I was raised in an evangelical Christian community and I’ve seen first hand how senseless things can become when belief is involved. My first love is computer science but my muse is philosophy/political science so I’m not surprised you haven’t run into my ideas yet; I’m often on the edge of what is mainstream. I’m actually writing a book on the concept of belief, which I’m happy to share with you when it’s done. My hope is that we can step away from the concept and usher in a new era of science and exploration because right now we’ve stagnated.