I acknowledge no such thing. I note that you're trying to put words in my mouth.
Wouldn't it just be easier to declare victory and high-five yourself?
Interesting. Maybe we understand belief differently? Is it possible that we are both right but only because we define 'belief' differently? I say this because obviously my experience pertaining to 'belief' is different from yours.
I can distinguish between two kinds of belief: certain and uncertain.
For example, I might believe that the government ought to adopt a particular policy, though I might still allow for some doubt, the possibility that I can be wrong.
Then there is certain belief, like the question of whether there is a floor under my feet.
As for the first kind of belief, my belief will be influenced by how I understand or interpret the latter category of beliefs. Though my beliefs can be modified through discussion, reading, experience, etc., and might even change frequently, at least the way I understand them, I do not choose what to believe since my uncertain beliefs are circumscribed by my ever evolving understanding of my certain beliefs.
As for my certain beliefs, these are beliefs of which I have no doubt. In my case at least, a belief in God falls in this category. Even my certain beliefs can change over time. I once had no doubt about the non-existence of God. Now I have no doubt about his existence. At one point, the question bothered me greatly for about a month. I did not know what to believe, yet even then not knowing was itself a certain belief. In other words, I had no doubt that I did not know the answer to the question.
At all three stages, though I could indirectly influence a certain belief through questionning, reading, discussion, etc. my certain beliefs, like my uncertain ones, could be influenced and changes by these, the main difference being that while my certain beliefs could influence my uncertain ones and must inevitably do so since they act as the point of reference, my uncertain ones could not influence my certain ones. My observations and how I understand them could. I could choose what to read, what to discuss, and what to observe or analyse, but these would influence my beliefs independently of my control.
Maybe you just would not call these beliefs but rather world views or something else. Anyway,there is something that I call beliefs and that you might call something else that from my experience I do not get to choose in the same way that I can choose my actions.
Maybe another example: I'm starving, I believe theft is wrong, yet I still choose to steal a loaf of bread. I might try to convince myself that I was right in stealing it, but it would require significant mental gymnastics on my part to convince myself of it. It's not like I could click my fingers and poof, I don't feel guilty about stealing anymore.
A guilty conscience might be an example of this. If one can choose his vore beliefs, ge could sppease his guilty conscience by just adopting a different set of beliefs.
I remember reading stories of neonazis having to go through a process of deeo douk searching to abandon their prejudices. If belief as I understand the term were a choice, abandoning their prejudices would be an easy task.
