Ultimately "everything" is based on belief
Everybody believes the sun will shine tomorrow for instance
But how do you know it will? You don't. After all some unforeseen cosmic bug could put an absolute end to the sun. Needless to mention that one could get shot before the next day and for that person the sun will never shine again. That's slightly out of topic, while still remaining a technically valid example. But I digress
So, everybody believes that the sun will shine tomorrow because the odds that the sun gets swallowed by a sudden breach in the spacetime fabric, a surprise black hole or whatever, are extremely low, quasi null, but not null
So it's a matter of odds in the end, it's a bet, it's belief. An educated guess at best.
And that's just one example
You have the people accumulating money for their retirement. Same deal, they believe one day they'll need it. Just like pretty much any random employee in the WTC right before impact. What were the odds of dying of an airliner in the face at your workplace right between to the coffee machine and the photocopier? Extremely low. But it only needs to happen once.
Yeah, belief is at the core of pretty much everything the mind relies on, for lack of better option
Actually what you described is "faith."
I have faith that the sun will shine tomorrow. I don't believe it.
Faith is trust. It's also accepting what is true, regardless of what I want to be true. Belief on the other hand...
And in any case, I'd prefer to discuss this topic of 'beliefs' and not to go off on a tangent.
edit: Also, how much of what you believe is actually rooted in knowledge and has empirical evidence? Or do you just give the benefit of the doubt based on credentials?
Personally I don't make such distinction here
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/faith
a. Belief in God or in a set of religious doctrines.
b. A set of religious doctrines; a body of dogma: adhered to the Muslim faith.
c. often Faith Christianity Secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will viewed as a theological virtue.
- Confident or unquestioning belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. See Synonyms at belief, trust .
- Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters; refused to break faith with his friends.
>Confident or unquestioning belief in the truth
How do you know it's the truth? That the sun will be there tomorrow? Or that you won't get shot by a retarded murderer on your way back from the grocery?
It's a bet, there's no absolute certainty, and it still runs with belief at its core
Faith is a strong belief, but belief nonetheless
Faith is not a strong belief. Belief is thinking something is true regardless of how contrary reality shows it to be.
Faith on the other hand, is trusting that the sun will show up and shine tomorrow, and it has shined as long as you have been alive,
so you even have a real reference of the sun shining as usual.
If you believe that the sun might not shine one day, you are imagining a scenario that is completely unfounded based on reality.
So, faith is more like trust, and even as the root word of belief implies, belief is a wish for something to be so.
Edit: Also, I upvoted for giving me a decent conversation.
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