Acceptance and Belief Revisited

Abstract

This paper represents my attempt to clarify the distinction that I introduced earlier between belief, a fust-order doxastic state, and acceptance, a metamental state ordinarily based on positive evaluation of belief. I shall indicate the way in which I would now revise my earlier views on the matter and explain how the notions should be characterized.¹ My thesis is that both belief and acceptance are functional states, though states of different systems. A consequence of my views concerning these two levels or kinds of states is that there are different levels of cognition that correspond to belief and acceptance, information at the fIrst level, and knowledge at the second. The confusion between these two levels of mentality has resulted in disputes about the nature of knowledge which, though illuminating in the arguments and reflections they elicited, nevertheless obscure the nature of human cognition.