Symbolic belief in social cognition

Bibliographic Data

ID12750010
AuthorsEvan Westra (0000-0003-2005-7998, Purdue University West Lafayette, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume37
Issue1
Pages388-408
Publication date2023-10-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophical Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1520-8583 • E-ISSN: 1758-2245
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/phpe.12196
OpenAlexW4387650085
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited78

Keeping track of what others believe is a central part of human social cognition. However, the social relevance of those beliefs can vary a great deal. Some belief attributions mostly tell us about what a person is likely to do next. Other belief attributions tell us more about a person's social identity. In this paper, I argue that we cope with this challenge by employing two distinct concepts of belief in our everyday social interactions. The epistemic concept of belief is primarily used to keep track of what other people take to be true, and this informs how we predict and interpret their behaviors. The symbolic concept of belief, in contrast, is primarily used as a means of signaling one's social identity to other members of one's community. In turn, community members closely monitor each other's symbolic beliefs as a means of enforcing social norms

Attribution · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Epistemology · Identity (music · Relevance (law · Social cognition · Social group · Social identity theory · Symbolic interactionism · The Symbolic · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology

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