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Understanding beliefs / Nils J. Nilsson.

by Nilsson, Nils J.,

Cambridge, Massachusetts : MIT Press, [2014]

MIT Press essential knowledge series.

xiv, 151 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm

Beliefs, knowledge, and models -- What do beliefs do for us? -- Where do beliefs come from? -- Evaluating beliefs -- In all probability -- Reality and truth -- The scientific method -- Robot beliefs -- Belief traps.

"Our beliefs constitute a large part of our knowledge of the world. We have beliefs about objects, about culture, about the past, and about the future. We have beliefs about other people, and we believe that they have beliefs as well. We use beliefs to predict, to explain, to create, to console, to entertain. Some of our beliefs we call theories, and we are extraordinarily creative at constructing them. Theories of quantum mechanics, evolution, and relativity are examples. But so are theories about astrology, alien abduction, guardian angels, and reincarnation. All are products (with varying degrees of credibility) of fertile minds trying to find explanations for observed phenomena. In this book, Nils Nilsson examines beliefs: what they do for us, how we come to hold them, and how to evaluate them."

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