“Ich glaube” in German means “I believe” in English, and “Ich denke” in German means “I think” in English. Since the late 1960s, certain German people have been fighting a “word battle”; the reason for it is the goal that “Ich denke” shall be used instead of “Ich glaube” which shall die out; the people shall believe that they think and shall not notice that they believe and not think; in this way new believers shall be bred, namely those who do not think / know that they believe but nevertheless believe that they think / know.
It is not difficult to find out which of the English speakers use the term “I think” or the term “I believe” how often, in which situations and with or without switching. Until the end of the 1960’s German speakers used the term “ich glaube” very much oftener than the term “ich denke” - maybe this ratio was 90 to 10. Since about 1990 certain German speakers have been using the term “ich denke” very much oftener than the term “ich glaube” - maybe this ratio is 99 to 1 (and for all German speakers maybe 80 to 20 or 70 to 30). So the ratio of the use of the terms “ich glaube” and “ich denke” has reversed within merely two decades (1970’s and 1980’s).
In the USA during that same period, it was “I feel” that was to replace “I think” … for the same reasons. Thinking was being removed from society so that only the chosen would be able. Neurological diseases were spread so as to help ensure retardation and inability to think. Entertainment drugs were added a little later. The mental illnesses and obvious retardation in the population was due entirely to that endeavor.
There are many examples for the attempt to replace words:
“Glaube” (“belief”), “glauben” (“believe”), “Wahrheit” (“truth”), “wahr” (“true”), “wahrhaft” (“truthful”), “Wahrhaftigkeit” (“truthfulness”), "Mannschaft (“team/crew of men”), …, and so on.
The anti-religious and feministic globalists are dictating here.
I found this hilarious and intersting. In English I use I believe and I think fairly interchangeably. And they can have a range of meanings. If I consider myself to know something, I would most likely leave out the first person beginning and just state that X is Y. This would not be an assertion of absolute certainty. If I said I know it, I would likely be trying stop some process of disrepect on someone else’s part. I would be implying that I have some expertise or solid grounds based on something thought out and justified. I would generally not mean they should immediately believe me, but on the other hand should stop acting like my position is something to simply dismiss. Take it seriously at least and stop rushing forward in the conversation past it.
I know the trend James is referring to. Since feelings are considered something one cannot challenge - you know what you feel and the problem of other minds precludes someone else denying this is what you feel - many people use I feel because it seems to slide past potential critique. You have your feelings and I have mine (as is this was relevent to which model of truck ran someone over, for example).
I would be more likely to use ‘I believe’ when taking a kind of third person perspective on myself. I believe that X is the case, and this is due to Y, but I have to admit I have not thought much about it. As one example. IOW I am relating what I believe but not really asserting it. ‘I think’ is much more likely to begin assertions.
I am not saying any of this is correct. I am in fact admitting or pointing out that my use of these options is more of interpersonal significance, something dynamic, and not so much semantics. It has to do with what is going on.
I think the JTB model for knowledge is actually a step too far. I tend to work, implicitly, with a JB, justified belief model. Some things are more justified than others. Some things are not justified, things being beliefs.
So this sidesteps the need for a clear semantic scale with these terms. Believe being the weakest, think the next in line and know the best. I suppose I think that is rather silly. Me saying I know and me saying I think amounts to much the same thing for the other person, until at least they are informed about my justification process. So I use the terms in this more situation dependent way.
I feel like this is a good choice on my part.
So you can’t critique it. Only I know what I feel. =D>
Yes, if it is regarded from the one of two points of view, but from the other point of view it is regarded reversely: Know being the weakest, think the next in line and believe the best.
