Abstract
I offer a new argument for the elimination of ‘beliefs’ from cognitive science based on Wimsatt’s ([1981]) concept of robustness and a related concept of fragility. Theoretical entities are robust if multiple independent means of measurement produce invariant results in detecting them. Theoretical entities are fragile when multiple independent means of detecting them produce highly variant results. I argue that sufficiently fragile theoretical entities do not exist. Recent studies in psychology show radical variance between what self-report and non-verbal behaviour indicate about participants’ beliefs. This is evidence that ‘belief’ is fragile, and is thus a strong candidate for elimination.
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