AIM Framework glossary
Source Belief
Canonical definition
Source Belief is the probability distribution an Individual assigns (consciously or unconsciously) across the three Source Hypotheses for a particular want, represented as the triple P(HA), P(HI), P(H_M).
Explanation
Source Belief is your best guess about where a want came from. When you feel an urge, you implicitly distribute probability across the three Source Hypotheses: "This is probably hunger", "This is probably genuine interest", or "I probably want this because others do". Due to Source Opacity, these assignments are often inaccurate. Mimetic desires are routinely misattributed to Appetitive need (the status-driven house purchase experienced as survival necessity) or Intrinsic value (the prestige credential experienced as love of learning). Occasionally Appetitive or Intrinsic signals are themselves mimetically triggered, the contagious yawn feels like fatigue though it was socially cued; the hunger pangs arrive because others started eating. Accurate Source Belief is the precondition for effective I-Override; systematically distorted Source Belief, compounding over time through the Confabulation Cascade, is the precondition for mimetic crisis.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct. The motivational specialisation of Belief, over the A, I, and M source Hypotheses.
Derivation
Related terms
- Belief
- Source Hypotheses
- Source Opacity (Axiom 3)
- Confabulation (Axiom 4)
- Authenticity Belief
- Grievance Belief
- Prior Belief
- Posterior Belief
- I-Override
- Two-Question Diagnostic