<aside> 🏵️ What is it about?

The PropositionalAttitudes Concept is a formal framework for understanding and analyzing how we relate to ideas in our minds. It provides a structured way to represent and reason about mental states like beliefs, desires, hopes, and fears. This concept serves as a powerful tool for exploring human cognition, aiding in fields ranging from personal self-reflection to psychology, AI research, and philosophy.

</aside>

Introduction

Welcome to the documentation for the PropositionalAttitudes Concept. This concept is a formal way of understanding and working with our thoughts, beliefs, desires, and other mental states. It's like a detailed map of how our minds work when we think about things.

What are Propositional Attitudes?

Propositional attitudes are the ways we relate to ideas or statements. For example, when you believe it's raining, hope to get a promotion, or fear spiders, you're experiencing propositional attitudes. The "propositional" part refers to the content (like "it's raining"), and the "attitude" part is how you relate to that content (like believing, hoping, or fearing).

So, think about this:

“Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

or this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd5HEJdcBwM

**Cowboy :** A man's attitude... a man's attitude goes some ways. The way his life will be. Is that somethin' you agree with?

**Adam Kesher :** Sure.

**Cowboy :** Now... did you answer cause you thought that's what I wanted to hear, or did you think about what I said and answer cause you truly believe that to be right?

**Adam Kesher :** I agree with what you said, truthfully.

**Cowboy :** What'd I say?

**Adam Kesher :** Uh... that a man's attitude determines, to a large extent, how his life will be.

**Cowboy :** So since you agree, you must be someone who does not care about the good life.

You may also consider a brief meditation-like practice: solve or dissolve:

Pause for a moment and explore whether you’re (a) altering your plans and intentions for changing the world or (b) altering your beliefs and desires to shape yourself to the world or (c) both, in this moment. (Note that (a), technically, is shaping yourself to the world as well.)

To better understand your own thoughts and motivations, and to evaluate whether you agree with the quotes presented, it's helpful to grasp the concept of propositional attitudes. These attitudes shape our beliefs, desires, and actions, ultimately influencing the events in our lives. By understanding propositional attitudes, you can gain insight into what drives you and how your mindset affects your future experiences.

Purpose of this Concept

I've created this formal representation to help people understand and work with these mental states more clearly. It's like having a very detailed dictionary and grammar for describing what's going on in our minds. This can be incredibly useful for many different people and professions.

How Different People Might Use This Concept:

  1. For Someone Keeping a Journal: Imagine you're writing in your diary. This concept can help you organize your thoughts more clearly. Instead of just writing "I'm worried," you could break it down into specific beliefs and desires. For example: "I believe my presentation isn't ready (belief), and I want it to go well (desire), which is causing me to feel worried." This can help you understand your feelings better and maybe even find solutions more easily.
  2. For a Meditation Practitioner: When you're meditating and observing your thoughts, this concept can give you a framework to categorize what's going through your mind. Are you believing something? Desiring something? Fearing something? By labeling your thoughts this way, you might gain new insights into your mental patterns.