[Witty]

Originally Posted by oats

it kinda seems like that's exactly what you're saying lol. and yes, beliefs can be proven. it rained for the past three days. I believe it will rain tomorrow. I have a good amount of evidence to suggest that this belief (or hypothesis - you can use them interchangeable in this instance) is correct. But the only time I will KNOW it is correct is when it starts raining. think of it like this and tell me where you disagree:

belief and knowledge are opposites.

to know something means that you have 100% statistical certainty IE I know I'm going to die since 100% of humans so far have died, I know the sun exists because we would not be alive without it, I know I woke up this morning because it was experienced and observed (it happened).

if there is no statistical certainty, you cannot know something IE there is a 60% chance it will rain tomorrow based off of previous experience and meteorological data, there is a 99% chance I will wake up tomorrow because I am sheltered from all but the most unlikely causes of death tonight, etc.

BUT - is there any chance, even .00000001% that I could die tonight? Sure - it's bound to happen one day, and until something happens (is experienced and observed), there is not 100% certainty.

Therefore, nothing in the future can be known. The future is not knowledge.

belief=certainty minus statistical probability.

therefore, belief pervades all things that aren't known with statistical certainty, in varying degrees.

Surely by definition belief is saying something is true when you can not prove it though, that is different than making a prediction, that's what I don't get with what ur saying....it has rained the last 3 days, so I can say it is likely to rain tomorrow, but if I said I believe it will rain tomorrow I am saying it is definitely true, that is the definition of belief, an acceptance of truth, rather than an acceptance of likelihood. Belief and hypothesis can not be used interchangeably because they mean two completely different things, an hypothesis is based on likelihood and belief is based on a perceived truth.