--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea that we should check on our…" description: "\"The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief acquisition sounds great, but we need to know whether the processes of reflection which we put..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unr_1127621.jpg" --- # The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief… ![“The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief acquisition sounds great, but we need to know whether the processes of reflection which we put to work serves to improve our reliability or not.” quote by Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unr_1127621.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unr_1127621.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unr_1127621.jpg) > “The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief acquisition sounds great, but we need to know whether the processes of reflection which we put to work serves to improve our reliability or not.” [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evaluating reflective processes must improve reliability, not just sound good **In simple terms:** Reflection should boost reliable belief formation Key Takeaway Test reflection for effectiveness Themes cognition epistemology learning theory Mood critical inquisitive Type scholarly analytical When to use this quote - education design - AI model training - personal decision making Key Concepts Metacognition belief revision reliability assessment Questions to Reflect On - How to measure reflective improvement? - When is reflection unnecessary? A Different Perspective Reflection can be costly without clear benefit ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-acquisition-3081473/) [Checks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checks/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Processes Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/processes-reflection-3081472/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Reflection Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection-work-3081471/) [Reliability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reliability/) [Self-Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-2/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Unreflective Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreflective-belief-3081470/) ## Related quotes > [The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to present a kind of mystical view of the powers of reflection. Unreflective belief acquisition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a-tendency-to-present-a-kind-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The various processes of belief acquisition which are native to a species include ones which may allow for the reliable pick-up of information, which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-various-processes-of-belief-acquisition-which-are-native-to-a/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [“Genius does not have time to stand admiring its reflection; it has too much work to get finished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wood/genius-does-not-have-time-to-stand-admiring-its-reflection-it-has-too/) [Benjamin Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wood/) > [“Writers that are pouring their soul out for the world to see, will cast a perfect reflection of themselves in their work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-e-hodges/writers-that-are-pouring-their-soul-out-for-the-world-to-see-will/) [Jason E. Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-e-hodges/) > [I do agree with Stich that a quick move from our evolutionary origins to the reliability of our cognitive mechanisms is not legitimate. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-do-agree-with-stich-that-a-quick-move-from-our-evolutionary-origins/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [If one's interest is not in some global question about the possibility of knowledge, but about some particular mechanism or inferential tendency, this fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/if-one-s-interest-is-not-in-some-global-question-about-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Ethologists thus have an interest in looking at these capacities for the reliable acquisition of belief, and it is not surprising that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-looking-at-these-capacities-for/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I don't have any issue with trust. I just can't seem to rely on people to do the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-abdullah-chowdhury/i-don-t-have-any-issue-with-trust-i-just-can-t-seem-to-rely-on-people/) [Robin Abdullah Chowdhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-abdullah-chowdhury/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Strong trust is built brick by brick, through honesty, consistency, and showing up even when it’s hard to keep the promise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/strong-trust-is-built-brick-by-brick-through-honesty-consistency-and/) [Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/) > [Our reasons for believing Jesus existed and also that He was who He claimed to be - the God who came down - are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-koukl/our-reasons-for-believing-jesus-existed-and-also-that-he-was-who-he/) [Greg Koukl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-koukl/) > [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) ## More by Hilary Kornblith > [I think that when I first suggested the idea that knowledge should be viewed as a natural kind, many people thought this was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-think-that-when-i-first-suggested-the-idea-that-knowledge-should-be/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation speaks for itself. (Which is not to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories-have-a-fine-track-record-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I am quite wedded to the view that epistemologists should concern themselves with knowledge rather than our concept of knowledge. The analogy I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-am-quite-wedded-to-the-view-that-epistemologists-should-concern/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The role of empirical work in informing our philosophical theories, as I see it, is not that it gives us a better view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-role-of-empirical-work-in-informing-our-philosophical-theories-as/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Here, as in so many other cases, however, it turns out that a very commonsensical idea looks far less attractive when one examines some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/here-as-in-so-many-other-cases-however-it-turns-out-that-a-very/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The kind of approach I take is different from much of experimental philosophy. Although the experimental philosophers and I are certainly in agreement about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-kind-of-approach-i-take-is-different-from-much-of-experimental/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The fact that we have been able to develop a successful science, which issues in ever more accurate predictions and broader explanations, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-develop-a-successful-science-which/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [By putting the first-person point of view in a naturalistic perspective, I believe that we may genuinely come to understand it for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/by-putting-the-first-person-point-of-view-in-a-naturalistic/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [When I got to college, I planned to be a math major, and, in addition to signing up for some math courses, I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-i-got-to-college-i-planned-to-be-a-math-major-and-in-addition-to/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [When reflection is thereby demystified, I believe that the temptation to view human knowledge as different in kind from animal knowledge is undermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-reflection-is-thereby-demystified-i-believe-that-the-temptation/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Internalist approaches to epistemology, I believe, have a great deal of intuitive appeal. Internalists believe that the features in virtue of which a belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/internalist-approaches-to-epistemology-i-believe-have-a-great-deal-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [What we need to do, however, is figure out what our best available theories of the mind suggest about epistemological issues, while we recognise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/what-we-need-to-do-however-is-figure-out-what-our-best-available/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I largely defer to the cognitive ethologists. I believe that the arguments that they make on this score are extremely persuasive. More than this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-largely-defer-to-the-cognitive-ethologists-i-believe-that-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Rather, although belief may be adequate for explaining the behavior of individual animals - an animal which believes that p will behave no differently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/rather-although-belief-may-be-adequate-for-explaining-the-behavior-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Explore all 62 Hilary Kornblith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ## More Acquisition quotes > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [ No one suffers so much as he \[the genius\] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius-with-the-people-and-therefore/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personal-happiness-lies-in-knowing-that-life-is-not-a-checklist-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We may... affirm that the balance of power in a society accompanies the balance of property in land. The only possible way, then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-may-affirm-that-the-balance-of-power-in-a-society-accompanies-the/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Learning to play the guitar is a combination of mental and motor skill acquisition. And to develop motor skill, repetition is essential... Whenever musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-roberts/learning-to-play-the-guitar-is-a-combination-of-mental-and-motor/) [Howard Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-roberts/) > [All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milarepa/all-worldly-pursuits-have-but-one-unavoidable-and-inevitable-end/) [Milarepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milarepa/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Accounting consequences do not influence our operating or capital-allocation decisions. When acquisition costs are similar, we much prefer to purchase $2 of earnings that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/accounting-consequences-do-not-influence-our-operating-or-capital/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [A sustainable economy represents nothing less than a higher social order one as concerned with future generations as with our own, and more focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/a-sustainable-economy-represents-nothing-less-than-a-higher-social/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [One industrial age belief is that GDP or GNP is a measure of progress. I don't care if you're the President of China or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-industrial-age-belief-is-that-gdp-or-gnp-is-a-measure-of-progress/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [I ended up doing four or five plays in college and being an English major with my thesis in language acquisition, which I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-ended-up-doing-four-or-five-plays-in-college-and-being-an-english/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [But most automotive dealerships are set up for customer acquisition - which is crazy when you consider the average cost of customer acquisition is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hughes/but-most-automotive-dealerships-are-set-up-for-customer-acquisition/) [Arthur Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hughes/) > [As priestcraft was always the enemy of knowledge, because priestcraft supports itself by keeping people in delusion and ignorance, it was consistent with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/as-priestcraft-was-always-the-enemy-of-knowledge-because-priestcraft/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Even as the unborn babe is in the womb of his mother, these five are fixed as his life destiny: his life span, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-as-the-unborn-babe-is-in-the-womb-of-his-mother-these-five-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her "beauty" his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/what-becomes-of-a-man-who-acquires-a-beautiful-woman-with-her-beauty/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) [Browse all 395 Acquisition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief acquisition sounds great, but we need to know whether the processes of reflection which we put to work serves to improve our reliability or not.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unreflective-belief-acquisition/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acquisition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unreflective-belief-acquisition/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unr_1127621.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unr_1127621.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unr_1127621.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief acquisition sounds great, but we need to know…” — Hilary Kornblith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hilary Kornblith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The idea that we should check...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unreflective-belief-acquisition/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unreflective-belief-acquisition/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```