Date of Award
May 2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Philosophy
First Advisor
Peter D van Elswyk
Committee Members
Joshua T Spencer, Matthew E Knachel
Keywords
Affective attitude, Belief, Lexical semantics, Polysemy, Strength
Abstract
This paper argues that there are two kinds of cognitive belief, and the word ‘believe’ is polysemous because it semantically expresses both kinds. To have a cognitive belief φ only requires you to take φ to be true. To have a cognitive-affective belief φ requires you to take φ to be true, and to have a trust, confidence, or faith-like attitude toward φ. I provide and analyze linguistic data about how ‘believe’ is used. I then apply my distinction to the recent debate on the strength of belief. I conclude that cognitive-affective belief is stronger than its corresponding cognitive belief since it entails it, but not vice versa.
Recommended Citation
Cartaya, Jazlyn, "What It Means to Believe" (2022). Theses and Dissertations. 2875.
https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/2875