BELIEF - The conviction of the
mind, arising from evidence received, or from information
derived, not from actual perception by our senses,
but from. the relation or information of others who
have had the means of acquiring actual knowledge of
the facts and in whose qualifications for acquiring
that knowledge, and retaining it, and afterwards in
communicating it, we can place confidence.
'Without recurring to the books of metaphysicians'
says Chief Justice Tilghman, 'let any man of plain
common sense examine the operations of his own mind,
he will assuredly find that on different subjects
his belief is different. I have a firm belief that
the moon revolves round the earth. I may believe too,
that there are mountains and valleys in the moon;
but this belief is not so strong, because the evidence
is weaker.'
