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ozozozd • last Sunday at 10:54 PM • 2 replies • view on HN

“Beliefs” are reasonable in a technical field?

Hypotheses would be reasonable. Beliefs, almost by definition, don’t have much to do reasoning, and thus, definitely not _reasonable_.

I appreciate that you have correctly designated them as beliefs though.


Replies

spider-mario • yesterday at 4:12 PM

> Beliefs, almost by definition, don’t have much to do reasoning

There is nothing in the definition of a belief that precludes arriving at it via reasoning. In fact, one of the definitions in the wiktionary is:

2. Faith or trust in the reality of something; often based upon one's own reasoning, trust in a claim, desire of actuality, and/or evidence considered.

Merriam Webster:

3: conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence

warkdarrior • yesterday at 12:14 AM

Beliefs are hypotheses not testable on a reasonable timeframe.

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