ABSTRACT
It is very easy to sympathize with people challenged by impossible tasks, especially when neither their informal socialization nor their formal education has equipped them to be all-purpose general problem solvers. I extend this sympathy to the whole human race, including myself, of course. In this text, only a very limited set of difficulty-overcoming and problem-solving capacities has been addressed, namely those matters to be taken into account when evaluating whether beliefs are well-founded in respect of the premises and conclusions of the arguments that can be marshalled to give them credence. In summary, the concern has been with the adoption of sensible means of arriving at the truthfulness of propositional statements serving as beliefs: first locating them in the correct domain, second applying the criteria of evaluation apposite to that domain, and third arriving at a best judgment in the light of the purposes in mind. It is necessary to be constantly alert to the many sources of possible inadequacies in arguments which can be offered in support of conclusions, and to reflect on why they might be offered.
