Fixing Belief

Peirce asks how people settle what to believe, and finds four ways. Tenacity: hold on to what you already think and avoid anything that could disturb it. Authority: believe what an institution or leader says. The a priori method: believe what seems agreeable to reason, without checking it. And the method of science: let the result of inquiry settle it, so anyone can check.

The first three can feel comfortable, because they end doubt. Their weakness shows when they meet another person or another fact. Tenacity meets someone who holds the opposite view with equal force. Authority meets another authority. A priori reasoning meets a different taste. Only the method of inquiry lets the world answer back.

The practical use is to ask which method you are using right now. If it is one of the first three, ask what a public check would look like.

The parking spot

Four roommates dispute whether it is safe to park on a certain street overnight. One says she has always parked there and it is fine. One quotes the landlord. One says it stands to reason that a quiet street is safe. One asks the local police for the incident records.

The first three views end the argument for each person and leave the question open between them. The records let all four look at the same thing, and the answer is the same for every roommate.

Try this today Take one belief you hold and ask which of the four methods you used to settle it.