The Fixation of Belief (Charles Sanders Peirce)

"The Fixation of Belief" by Charles Sanders Peirce explores how people settle on certain beliefs to avoid uncertainty and mental discomfort. Peirce identifies four methods: tenacity (holding onto beliefs despite evidence), authority (trusting authorities or tradition), a priori (relying on personal reasoning or intuition), and the scientific method (systematically testing and updating beliefs based on evidence). He advocates for the scientific method as the most reliable way to arrive at true understanding, encouraging openness to new evidence and continuous inquiry rather than clinging to fixed beliefs.