ABSTRACT
Our understanding of the world is represented in our beliefs and our behavior is determined by them. Beliefs are the "stuff" of reasoning: they are what reasoning produces and the basis on which reasoning is done. It is by means of reasoning that we modify old beliefs in the light of new information. A primary goal of reasoning is to arrive at beliefs that are as consistent as possible with the evidence available to us about reality. The concept of belief is central to the view of reasoning that is presented here.
