Every Proposition
Every Proposition fits into one of three Sets:
Set1) No Truth-Value - Opinion
Set2) Do Not Know Truth-Value - Belief
Set3) Know Truth-Value - Knowledge
As Set1, Set2, and Set3 form an all-inclusive trichotomy, so also does Opinion, Belief, and Knowledge.
Two Assertions About what Belief Is
1) Belief is the probabilistic subset of Set2.
- Know - Do Not Know - Opinion
2) Knowledge is a subset of Belief
- Set3 is a subset of Set2
Truth-values we Know - Knowledge
Set3 is NOT a subset of Set2, ergo Knowledge is NOT a subset of Belief.
Belief is the probabilistic subset of the Do Not Know Set(Set2).
As Set1 is not synonomous with Set2, it is impossible Belief and Opinion are synonyms.
Proper Terminology
Opinion: A proposition of which it is known the proposition has no truth-value. Eg: A waterfall is beautiful. Beautiful is not a quantifiable attribute of a waterfall.
Belief: A proposition of which the truth-value remains unknown that is to be rationalized based on probability.
Knowledge: A proposition of which the truth-value of a certain pattern in the matter of existence is understood with certainty.
What is truth?
Truth is a word.
What is a word?
A word is a certain pattern in the matter of existence.
Understanding with certainty a certain pattern in the matter of existence, such as a word, is Knowledge.
I disagree with your definitions, therefore I disagree with your conclusion. An opinion can be true.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Mt. Everest is the highest mountain on Earth today. I believe that Mt. Everest is the highest mountain on Earth today, and it happens to be true too! I know the Earth is flat even though it's not true that the Earth is flat (OK, so not me personally, but other people do).
I know the Sun exists. It would be ridiculous for me to say I don't believe the Sun exists. Of course I do! I must believe the Sun exists if I know it exists! Is it possible to have an opinion on the existence of the Sun? Yes! I have seen videos of people who claim the Sun does not exist.
Saying to such a person "You're wrong because it's true that the Sun does exist" does nothing helpful. They are convinced that their belief is a true representation of reality, as am I. What if I'm the deluded one, not them? Philosophy can't solve this conundrum, only science and measurements.
Knowledge is indeed a subset of belief. If you believe something based on evidence and your belief is true, you can say you know that thing, based on the definition of knowledge as a justified true belief (not the only definition of knowledge). Colloquially, knowledge is also being maximally confident that a belief is true, regardless of whether it matches reality or not, such as flat earth belief.