Knowledge and belief are accepted as two quite different notions by people. If one asks an average respondent about the characteristics of knowledge and belief, the answer will include the fact that knowledge is supported by evidence, and belief is only a supposition based on someone’s vision of any particular question. However, the question is if these two notions are different and if it so, then what sort of facts distinguish knowledge from belief. Such differences can be researched based on the question of whether someone’s love for the other individual can be seen as knowledge or belief. In the following paper, the question of whether it is known that someone loves you, or if it is believed to be so will be examined. Overall, evaluating the facts, the conclusion can be made that someone’s idea concerning the other person’s affection to him/her can be defined as knowledge rather than belief.
First of all, evaluating certain information as knowledge or belief, the very notions of belief and knowledge are to be identified. Knowledge can be identified as the information which is believed to be true and is supported with a measure of facts and evidence (Garrison, 2002). Whereas belief is also information that is accepted as true one but without any particular shreds of evidence. Thus, the main difference between these two notions can be seen in the empirical facts proving the information that is under consideration (Moral Relativism, 2001).
Next, addressing the very question concerning the evaluation of the preference and love someone may have for the other individual, the illustration with a pet’s love will be discussed. In the case of a pet, its love may be evaluated by empirical facts, and for this reason, it may be considered to be knowledge. Firstly, love manifestations on the part of one’s pet can be seen in his/her physical acts. To illustrate this, dogs wave their tails, follow their owner everywhere, bring him/her slippers, come and just sit together showing their desire to always stay next to their owner, and so on; the other animals may have many other ways of physical conduct proving their love to their owners. Secondly, the other empirical fact proving that pets love their owners is the fact most of them die out of grief if their owner leaves or dies. Thirdly, if the pet loves one’s owner, this will be shown in the acts of preferences such as protecting the owner and caring for him/her in any other way. All of these empirical facts, or facts from the physical world, prove pets’ love as something to be related to the body of knowledge rather than belief (Steup, 2006).
Finally, after looking through the evidence, my categorization of knowledge or belief has shifted in some way. In particular, I started seeing fewer differences between the notions of knowledge and belief. The differences also became more ambiguous. To illustrate this, before if I was asked whether I know that my pet loves me or whether I believe it is so, I would answer that I believe it so. However, now, that I evaluated the empirical facts, I consider pet love to be my knowledge as this love has physical manifestations which might be easily seen. These empirical manifestations can be also approached from the point of view of reason to see why the animal acts in a certain way. Thus, not only empirical evidence is seen as the basis of knowledge, but the combination of empirical evidence and logical conclusions made as a result. I came to this conclusion by studying Hume’s findings who also stated that knowledge is to be supported by the combination of empirical facts with the power of reason and logic (Fieser, 2011). Similar conclusions were made by Descartes who saw the triumph of truth in the combination of empirical evidence with the power of reason and logical proofs (Skirry, 2008).
Concluding on all the information discussed above, it should be stated that the difference between knowledge and belief can be seen as rather an ambiguous matter. In general, such difference is considered to be in the facts and evidence that support knowledge as a true and reliable one, and the lack of such ones for belief to be proved as a true and reliable one. Evaluating the offered question concerning pet’s love analysis, I concluded that pet’s love can be rather seen as belonging to the body of knowledge as it is supported by numerous facts and evidence from the empirical world which can also be weighted out from the point of view of the power of reason. Thus, my vision of the differences between the notions of knowledge and belief has shifted considerably as I used to think that the notions of knowledge and belief are very different notions, and such things as someone’s affection can be only seen as the individual’s belief, but not knowledge.
References
Fieser, J. (2011). David Hume. Web.
Garrison, C. E. (2002). Relativism and Absolutism: Keeping College Students Involved in the Examination of Truth. College Student Journal, 36(2), 304+.
Moral Relativism. (2001). Web.
Skirry, J. (2008). Rene Descartes. Web.
Steup, M. (2006). The Analysis of Knowledge. Web.