「信じる」ことの認識論的二重構造 : 情報社会を支える信用・信頼

Trust or belief is important for social life. The bank that lost social trust, may go into bankruptcy, for nobody deposits money in this bank. What is the trust or belief? I define it as to accept without doubt the information concerning unknown important matter. In belief there is an important matter that is not known directly by our believer. Concerning this unknown matter, we aware its existence and eager to know it directly. But we cannot know, so we must believe. We usually say that knowing and believing oppose each other. In belief at least there must be the ignorance about important believed matter. Already known fact must not be believed, for it is positively known. In belief or trust we have the information that is given us directly. This information informs us about essential matter that stays as ignorant for us. Believer can know indirectly that important hidden matter only by the directly given information. So in belief we have epistemological double structure. Our believer stands directly in front of the manifestation that is usually saying or doing of human being. And behind this manifestation or information, exists the ignorant essential object. Namely a belief has following three terms, believer (S) -directly known information (M) - unknown essential matter (O). The typical thesis is, ""S believes the information M concerning hidden O"". Believer accepts or receives the content of speaking that is not clear whether truth or error, as truth. It has the possibility of lie and also of truth. We always have the possibility to be deceived or cheated. Therefore in belief we must make up our mind to being deceived or to missing our expectation. We must decide to accept with our strong will the information as truth.