
Originally Posted by
Heartless Angel
Actually if all you want is an explanation, that would be relatively simple. An argument may require solid evidence that the belief true, but an explanation for having a belief could be as simple as having been raised to believe it.
However if you do want an argument, there are a few. One of the most compelling would be Aquinas' cosmological argument, though I personally do not accept it.
There are multiple definitions of truth, one of which that makes most beliefs perfectly logical is the coherent theory. This suggests that when we say something is true or false, we are saying it fits in logically with other beliefs (or facts) we have (we know).
Everything everyone knows is ultimately based on a leap of faith, that we percieve and understand the world and some the most fundamental concepts. Why then, do we claim to know anything, when some of these fundamental concepts which we base our entire lives around are unprovable? Simply, because we could not function in the world without some logical understanding of it. We can't prove the fundamentals of existence, but without them, we can't know anything else, so we take a leap of faith, and accept what we seem to know, but can't prove beyond all doubt, and build a web of beliefs that cohere to it. However we don't all have the same fundamental beliefs (though most are relatively similar), which leads to different beliefs about other things.
Here's a fun one to confuse people with, how can you prove logically, that your concept of logic is logical? The very instant you try, you commit the logical fallacy of begging the question and lose. Even the rules of logic are ultimately just a belief based on some observation. But if we don't accept it, we can't really know anything, so we take a leap of faith to make the world we live in make sense.
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