The Natural Function of Beliefs (1.3.10)

Hume analogizes the nature and natural function of beliefs to those of impressions. Just as an impression has the natural function of motivating the will to avert calamities that would otherwise be caused by objects present to the senses, so a belief has the natural function of motivating the will to avert calamities that would be caused by objects not currently observed. On this account, beliefs generally fulfil their natural function only when they are true predictions of what calamities would occur. This suggests the veritistic natural function of being true. Hume explicitly ascribes to beliefs the natural function of foreseeing unobserved objects—an epistemic natural function. The reliability account of justified belief explains the ascription of the epistemic natural function of belief, given the ascription of a veritistic function.