How Belief Works

An ongoing series on the psychology of belief

'Belief … is the central problem in the analysis of mind.' – philosopher Bertrand Russell

Our capacity to form beliefs, from the profound to the mundane, is fundamental to human psychology, and therefore our lives. However, the prevailing understanding of how belief works is wrong – and not just a bit wrong but the-Sun-goes-around-the-Earth wrong.

And just as the truth about the Sun and the Earth’s relationship had profound implications for our understanding of the cosmos, the truth about how belief works has profound implications for our understanding of human psychology, and therefore for our lives. But this truth is so counterintuitive that it can, ironically, seem unbelievable – as did the idea that the Earth isn’t the stationary centre of the universe but sweeps around the Sun while spinning about an axis.

This ongoing series reveals the reality of how belief works and explores its implications.

Previously published versions of these articles are available on a live snapshot of this site, here. Although I think their core logic is sound, I decided that the form of the arguments presenting that logic needs improvement, along with the writing. The standalone article [Article X] will eventually be incorporated into this series.