“A belief is what we accept as the truth” (JW Apps). Is this a claim you could defend?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Theory of Knowledge Essay

Ho Mei Chau

D 0638 011

Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong

1. "A belief is what we accept as the truth" (JW Apps). Is this a claim you could defend?

Introduction:

Truth and belief are both terms used in the definition of knowledge. The Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names1 defines knowledge as justified true belief, a statement accepted by nearly all Western philosophers. Therefore by looking J.W. Apps' statement "A belief is what we accept as the truth", we must somehow take into account its context in knowledge and how knowledge can be justified. However, being a TOK question, the statement is quite likely to be justifiable or else J.W. Apps would not have made such a statement in the first place.

Definitions

Simply speaking, belief can be defined as the affirmation of, or conviction regarding the truth of a proposition, especially when one is not yet in procession of sufficient evidence adequate to justify a claim that the proposition is known without certainty. As you must believe in something to "know" it, then does belief equal the truth?

Let