In my introduceyourself post, I mentioned that this blog would be a place where we could explore questions. A good first question might be "what is belief?"
A commonly accepted definition of belief is placing one's faith, trust, or confidence in the idea that some proposition is true. This definition is broad enough to encompass what many think of as different kinds - or levels - of belief. It includes those beliefs one holds dearly and is prepared to defend, what Daniel Dennett and others refer to as a "capital B Belief" like a belief in a deity, as well as those one thinks very little about, like the belief that jellyfish do not play baseball.
What do you think? Does this definition cover it? Are there different kinds, or levels, of belief?
Can we settle on a definition that will suit our exploration of why people believe the Earth is flat, that Bigfoot is real, or that Santa Claus enjoys cookies?
