--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worry that unreflective belief…" description: "\"The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/hilary-kornblith-11063_achieve_the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acqui_430710.jpg" --- # The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be… ![“The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my mind, the plausibility of internalist views about justification is dramatically decreased when one becomes vividly aware of what…” quote by Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/hilary-kornblith-11063_achieve_the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acqui_430710.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/hilary-kornblith-11063_achieve_the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acqui_430710.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/hilary-kornblith-11063_achieve_the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acqui_430710.jpg) > “The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my mind, the plausibility of internalist views about justification is dramatically decreased when one becomes vividly aware of what introspection and reflection actually achieve.” [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. He argues that both unreflective and reflective belief formation can be unreliable, and that introspection often fails to justify beliefs, weakening internalist positions. **In simple terms:** Both intuitive and reflective belief methods can be unreliable, challenging internalist justification. Key Takeaway Question the reliability of your own reasoning processes. Themes philosophy epistemology critique Mood skeptical inquisitive Type theoretical philosophical When to use this quote - academic debate - personal belief assessment - critical thinking workshops Key Concepts justification theory internalism introspection Questions to Reflect On - How can we better assess the reliability of our reflective beliefs? - What alternatives to internalism exist? A Different Perspective Reliability of introspection is hard to verify, limiting confidence in internalist claims. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/) [Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-acquisition-3081473/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Introspection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introspection/) [Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justification/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Plausibility Internalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plausibility-internalist-3796985/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Reflective Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflective-belief-3796984/) [Self-Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-2/) [Unreflective Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreflective-belief-3081470/) [Unreliable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreliable/) [Unreliable Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreliable-mind-2071895/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief acquisition sounds great, but we need to know whether the processes of reflection which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unreflective-belief-acquisition/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Conclusions from observations are unreliable, only the mind can come nearer to to the truth. Thus, in some ways, philosophy is more important than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anaxagoras/conclusions-from-observations-are-unreliable-only-the-mind-can-come/) [Anaxagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anaxagoras/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Here, there is simply no substitute for the kind of work that experimental psychologists do, work which shows some mechanisms to be quite reliable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/here-there-is-simply-no-substitute-for-the-kind-of-work-that/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [But instead, Democrats are so bent on seeing Republicans as a bunch of angry, right wing, intolerant, unreliable extremists that they have a track…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/but-instead-democrats-are-so-bent-on-seeing-republicans-as-a-bunch-of/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) > [“Or, rather, you irritate everyone, Curdle. Because you're so unreliable.' 'I'm not always unreliable, Telorast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/or-rather-you-irritate-everyone-curdle-because-you-re-so-unreliable-i/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [I know I love a novel with an unreliable narrator, and I think many readers do as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/i-know-i-love-a-novel-with-an-unreliable-narrator-and-i-think-many/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [No organization can depend on genius; the supply is always scarce and unreliable. It is the test of an organization to make ordinary people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/no-organization-can-depend-on-genius-the-supply-is-always-scarce-and/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [I very much like the idea of the unreliable narrator. Shaping my fictions as monologues - by introducing the "I" - allows me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-very-much-like-the-idea-of-the-unreliable-narrator-shaping-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-french/eyewitness-testimony-is-notoriously-unreliable/) [Chris French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-french/) > [The Term Paper Artist' represents two models of writing, one of the little boy bouncing his ball, generating stories for the sheer pleasure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leavitt/the-term-paper-artist-represents-two-models-of-writing-one-of-the/) [David Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leavitt/) > [Rehearsals and screening rooms are often unreliable because they can't provide the chemistry between an audience and what appears on the stage or screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/rehearsals-and-screening-rooms-are-often-unreliable-because-they-can/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [“I argue that the Jesus of the Gospels is essentially a myth. The Gospels are largely fiction. They were created around the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-elleg-rd/i-argue-that-the-jesus-of-the-gospels-is-essentially-a-myth-the/) [Alvar Ellegård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-elleg-rd/) > [I don't like working all hours of the night and having an unreliable working pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/i-don-t-like-working-all-hours-of-the-night-and-having-an-unreliable/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [Epistemologists should be concerned with knowledge and justification and so on, not our concepts of them; philosophers of mind should be concerned with various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/epistemologists-should-be-concerned-with-knowledge-and-justification/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Explore all 62 Hilary Kornblith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ## More Achieve quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/) [Deon Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-taylor/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) [Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Governments follow their people. A great deal has to do with the vision of the leadership of governments. They have a vision, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-khurshid/governments-follow-their-people-a-great-deal-has-to-do-with-the/) [Salman Khurshid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-khurshid/) > [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/if-your-only-goal-is-to-become-rich-you-will-never-achieve-it/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [To achieve something you've never achieved before, you must become someone you've never been before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubham-joshi/to-achieve-something-you-ve-never-achieved-before-you-must-become/) [Shubham Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubham-joshi/) > [I've identified as bisexual since I was a teenager, and if we want to achieve equality for all in our policies, we need more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hill/i-ve-identified-as-bisexual-since-i-was-a-teenager-and-if-we-want-to/) [Katie Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hill/) [Browse all 6,390 Achieve quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my mind, the plausibility of internalist views about justification is dramatically decreased when one becomes vividly aware of what introspection and reflection actually achieve.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achieve" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/hilary-kornblith-11063_achieve_the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acqui_430710.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/hilary-kornblith-11063_achieve_the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acqui_430710.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/hilary-kornblith-11063_achieve_the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acqui_430710.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective…” — 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 worry that unreflective belief acquisition...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/#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 } } ] } ```