Beliefs are Like the Charge in a Battery

Inculcating a belief is like charging a battery. The battery is thenceforward disposed to give a spark or shock, when suitably approached, as long as the charge lasts; similarly the believer is disposed to respond in characteristic ways, when suitably approached, as long as the belief lasts. The belief, like the charge, may last long or briefly. Some beliefs, like the one about Hannibal, we shall probably retain while we live. Some, like our belief in the dependability of our neighborhood cobbler, we may abandon tomorrow in the face of adverse evidence. And some, like the belief that a bird chirped within earshot, will simply die of unimportance forthwith. The belief that the cobbler is dependable gives way tomorrow to a contrary belief, while the belief in the bird is just forgotten. A disposition has ceased in both cases, though in different ways.

Notes:

Some reinforce with use (charging), while others vanish from the mind because they do not recharge.

Folksonomies: belief reinforcement

Taxonomies:
/automotive and vehicles/electric vehicles (0.545894)
/religion and spirituality/alternative religions/pagan and wiccan (0.491017)
/religion and spirituality/atheism and agnosticism (0.349030)

Keywords:
belief (0.932586 (negative:-0.115040)), dependable gives way (0.736206 (neutral:0.000000)), contrary belief (0.666001 (neutral:0.000000)), neighborhood cobbler (0.597106 (positive:0.394657)), battery (0.572642 (positive:0.356087)), charge (0.568021 (positive:0.240970)), characteristic ways (0.560998 (positive:0.374667)), adverse evidence (0.560421 (negative:-0.237653)), different ways (0.526817 (neutral:0.000000)), beliefs (0.433979 (positive:0.240970)), bird (0.402027 (negative:-0.547971)), reinforce (0.387305 (positive:0.240970)), earshot (0.377677 (neutral:0.000000)), dependability (0.374176 (positive:0.394657)), believer (0.374171 (positive:0.374667)), Hannibal (0.373866 (neutral:0.000000)), spark (0.371703 (neutral:0.000000)), shock (0.368369 (neutral:0.000000)), disposition (0.366528 (negative:-0.511921)), mind (0.365789 (negative:-0.411494)), face (0.357046 (negative:-0.237653))

Entities:
Hannibal:City (0.915945 (neutral:0.000000))

Concepts:
Philosophy of mind (0.914520): dbpedia | freebase
Battery (0.798294): dbpedia | freebase
2001 in film (0.647273): dbpedia | yago

 The Web of Belief
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book:  Quine, W. V. and Ullian, J. S. (1978-02-01), The Web of Belief, McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, Retrieved on 2013-11-15
  • Source Material [books.google.com]
  • Folksonomies: bias belief cognitive bias