Let us further illustrate the problem of knowledge vs belief with an example in another arena.

In anthropological research, the evidence that we have so far uncovered leads us to the conclusion (or belief) that primitive people always lived in groups.

The reason that we hold this belief is because, thus far, we have accumulated no evidence that primitive humans, at some earlier date, ever existed in some isolated, individualistic fashion.

The lack of such evidence, however, proves nothing. One day we may find such evidence. In the meantime, based on the evidence we do have, there can be no more than an opinion of the positive probability that early humans have always lived in a group-oriented manner.

Basing our opinion on a careful study of the available evidence at hand, we may refer to it as an "educated" opinion, but it is still an opinion.

In order to have knowledge that no single instance has existed in which early humans lived in complete, individualistic isolation, we would have to have information indicating the way in which every single ancient human lived.

It is, of course, highly unlikely that we will ever have such information. Without it, however, we cannot state that we know that all early humans lived in groups. We can, however, state that it is probable that all or most primitives lived in groups, based upon the available evidence

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