Is belief really a choice?

[Simon Moon]

My definition of belief is the psychological state where one holds a proposition as true.

Using this definition, I choose to only believe that which can be supported by demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument and valid logic.

I refuse to hold a proposition as true unless it meets these criteria. But, if a proposition does not meet these criteria, that does NOT mean that I believe the inverse (that the proposition is false). This seems to be the hardest thing to explain to theists.

So, I do choose what I believe. What I do not choose is the process my mind uses to make the choice of what I believe.

[GordonHide]

I used to think that belief was not an act of volition. I guess I was going on my own experience. If the evidence is strong enough I have no choice but to believe.

However, it's obvious that all of us would like to believe that which we would like to be true. What's more we all suffer from confirmation bias. That is we have an emotional resistance to changing our mind in the presence of contradictory evidence.

So it seems that if your emotions or instincts are involved in the item up for belief you at least have the choice of recognising this trait within yourself and of trying to be more objective, (or not as the case may be).

[The Grand Nudger]

Meh, if any of our resident theists can choose not to believe - just for a few days- to demonstrate a point, then I'll stop calling bullshit on that count.

(same for any atheist)

[thesummerqueen]

Hard to prove, though.

[The Grand Nudger]

I'd take their words for it, just check in daily, with how you've chosen to believe that there is/is no god - that they do/don't believe today. Give it, say, a week or so.

[Mystic]

I think Rhythm, you mistaken a choice with the idea that a choice should be always easy, like choosing to eat a certain food on a given day.

When it person chooses to murder, it's not like he could've just done it one day, out of a vacuum, with no factors influencing him, pushing.

You cannot yourself just chose to go murder on any given random day.

The harder and perhaps more significant choices we do, are the ones with a lot of factors pushing us one way or the other, and what we chose to believe plays a huge part in that.

[The Grand Nudger]

No, no, choices may be difficult to make. If the choice is -so- difficult to make that no one seems to be able to make it, then I'll point out that no one has any grounds to call it a choice (even if it may be).

You give me far too much credit Mystic. I can, and have opened fire on other human beings. It's a choice I find very easy to make (perhaps not easy to live with) - personally.

What we choose to believe? There you are reasserting the very thing in question - perhaps you'll be the one to choose the negation of whatever belief you claim to have chosen?

[Mystic]

Well, I think a lot of choices especially belief wise, come when we reaching a boiling point.

I believe we chose to believe in morals for example. If we had no choice in the matter, we cannot condemn anyone for any immoral belief.

If the 9/11 happened due to a belief the Hijackers had, mainly that it was the right thing to do and honorable and pleases God, we cannot condemn them for choosing to believe it was right to do....

[thesummerqueen]

The hell I can't.

[Mystic]

The hell I can't.

I meant from the perspective that we had no choice in the choice of our beliefs.

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And would add, the fact we do condemn them, shows we believe we do choose what we believe and that there are things that we ought to believe(ie. there are thought crimes).

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Point three, if religions deal with morals, and we accept we chose to believe in morals, then we necessarily have a choice in believing in a religion while not necessarily the choice in not believing in it but possibly the choice in not believing in it.