ABSTRACT
In this chapter we try to show that the mature concept of belief entails more than what usually is examined in developmental “theory of mind” studies. In particular we will argue that the concept of belief entails that the wrong thought which we took to be reality was caused in such a way that left no possibility other than to take it to be reality. In other words, we not only understand what we wrongly believed to be the case, but also that we did so for good reasons. In the case of false beliefs about simply situational facts (like what something is or where it is), these good reasons are important as they save our view of ourselves as healthy persons who are not hallucinating, and they also save our view of an orderly world where objects do not change their identity or their place in unpredictable ways. Understanding the causation of wrong thoughts about what is the case is also responsible for the fact that at times we find false beliefs so funny or tragic.
