Lack of Attitude

This chapter examines the concept of belief, proposing that belief ascriptions serve as useful models of unconscious dispositions rather than reflecting robust, enduring states. It begins by contrasting belief with character traits, emphasizing how both are used in psychological explanations despite their lack of direct correspondence to stable traits. The chapter also discusses how standing attitudes, such as beliefs, persist beyond conscious awareness and differ from occurrent mental states. It critiques views like dispositionalism and representationalism, which treat beliefs as dispositions or mental representations, respectively, and proposes a more complex view based on models. Finally, the chapter suggests that the use of belief and character trait ascriptions, while idealized, remains essential for understanding human behavior and unconscious mental dispositions