Begin by assuming the Perry-inspired metaphysics of belief sketched earlier, in which we distinguish belief contents from belief states.
In any event, Huemer suggests that we should distinguish belief from what he calls "appearings" or "seemings".
It is also helpful to distinguish belief itself from the elicitation of that belief and also from your introspective access to those beliefs.
Among those who distinguish belief from acceptance, beliefs are described as subjective and are regarded as being based on personal conviction.
Some researchers distinguish belief in evolution from acceptance, with belief based solely on intuition or faith, while acceptance is said to require an evaluation of the evidence (Abraham et al. 2012; Akyol et al. 2012; Ingram and Nelson 2006; Nadelson and Southerland 2009; Sinatra et al. 2003).
But fine-grained Fregean senses or conceptual structures are not strictly required to distinguish beliefs in identities.
Plato, following the early Greek philosopher Parmenides, who is known as the father of metaphysics, had sought to distinguish opinion, or belief, from knowledge and to assign distinct objects to each.
Part 1 showed that 5-10 year old children and adults distinguished ideological beliefs from factual beliefs(a domain in which, if two people disagree, at least one must be wrong) and preference-based beliefs(a domain in which it is acceptable for people to disagree), indicating that much experience is unnecessary for this ability to emerge.
Acceptance is distinguished from belief in that acceptance is based primarily on an evaluation of evidence, whereas beliefs refer to intuition, faith, and personal principles (Smith, 1994; Southerland et al., 2001).
Fulljames argues that "creationism" should be distinguished from belief in God as the creator, as "...many Christians from diverse theological standpoints claim that belief in God as creator is consistent with an evolutionary theory of origins".
