Beliefs

Beliefs are mental states in which a proposition is held to be true by an individual or group. They can concern facts, values, or meanings and may be explicit or implicit. Beliefs are not the same as knowledge; while knowledge is often described as justified true belief, beliefs can be held with varying degrees of justification and may persist even when evidence is weak or contradictory.

Beliefs form through perception, experience, testimony, education, culture, and social influence. They can be influenced by cognitive biases and heuristics and are shaped by the wider belief system or worldview to which a person adheres. Beliefs range from everyday opinions to complex religious, political, or scientific worldviews and can be held with certainty or tentatively, being either contingent or durable.

Beliefs organize perception and interpretation of events, guide decision-making and behavior, and contribute to identity and social cohesion. They can be resilient to change, but are revised when new evidence or persuasive arguments arise, a process studied in epistemology and cognitive psychology. In science and scholarship, beliefs should be provisional and subject to testing and falsification.

Evaluation of beliefs involves assessing justification, coherence with evidence, and the reliability of sources. Common challenges include confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, and social pressures. Belief change is a normal part of intellectual life and can occur without undermining related but distinct beliefs.