Dictionary

forebelieve en · VERB

Etymology

From fore- + believe.

Meanings

1. (ambitransitive) To believe beforehand; believe in advance.
   • Taking the Lewis-Pollock definition of the might-counterfactual, we get the following analysis of (13) and (14): (13) is equivalent to: (13a) ~ (If God were not omniscient then he would forebelieve my act S.) Assuming that it is necessarily false [...] 1991, Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski, The dilemma of freedom and foreknowledge:
   • For instance, suppose it is a fact that God has always foreknown or forebelieved thatJones would attend the lecture at noon this Friday. 2008, Joshua Hoffman, Gary S. Rosenkrantz, The Divine Attributes:
   • It is alleged in the problem of foreknowledge and freedom that God's forebelief yesterday that I shall stay in bed tomorrow is now accidentally necessary, and that since it is now true of accidental necessity that if God forebelieved yesterday that I'd stay in bed tomorrow, then I'll stay in bed tomorrow, […] 2006, Daniel J. Hill, Randal D. Rauser, Christian philosophy:
   • It is possible there may lurk secret wickedness in some blind corner of the heart which we know not of: it is possible that time and temptation, working upon our corruption, may at last draw us into some such sin as we could not forebelieve. 1863, Joseph Hall, The Works of the Right Reverend Joseph Hall, D.D., 2:

Forms

Relateds

forebelief