Belief correlates with what we wish things to be, knowledge correlates with what is. Lemme 'splain.
I do a lot of woodwork. In many cases, I've processed the wood myself from harvesting to finished product. As a result of this, I know that trees are made of wood. I might believe them to be made of cheese, chalk, or chocolate, but such a belief wouldn't qualify as knowledge, since it doesn't correlate with what trees are actually made of.
As to the 'sun coming up tomorrow' example, there is something epistemologists call 'the reasonable expectation of results'. All of my life, the sun has risen in the east. Even when I haven't witnessed it, I have reliable reports that it has risen in the east. Ever single human being in the history of our species who has taken the time to comment on this mentions that the sun rises in the east, and does so on a daily basis. With such overwhelming evidence, it would be perverse to hold any other position. This, 'the sun will rise tomorrow' qualifies as a statement of knowledge. Statements such as 'the sun will not rise tomorrow' or 'the sun will rise in the west' are expressions of belief, since such expectations are neither reasonable nor supported by observation and evidence.
Boru
I do a lot of woodwork. In many cases, I've processed the wood myself from harvesting to finished product. As a result of this, I know that trees are made of wood. I might believe them to be made of cheese, chalk, or chocolate, but such a belief wouldn't qualify as knowledge, since it doesn't correlate with what trees are actually made of.
As to the 'sun coming up tomorrow' example, there is something epistemologists call 'the reasonable expectation of results'. All of my life, the sun has risen in the east. Even when I haven't witnessed it, I have reliable reports that it has risen in the east. Ever single human being in the history of our species who has taken the time to comment on this mentions that the sun rises in the east, and does so on a daily basis. With such overwhelming evidence, it would be perverse to hold any other position. This, 'the sun will rise tomorrow' qualifies as a statement of knowledge. Statements such as 'the sun will not rise tomorrow' or 'the sun will rise in the west' are expressions of belief, since such expectations are neither reasonable nor supported by observation and evidence.
Boru
‘I can’t be having with this.’ - Esmeralda Weatherwax
