Are you serious, have you actually done this? If your example was believing a person to be both stupid and intelligent, I would accept it, but the example you gave. . . .

Have never confused appointments? Have you never believed both that you had a dentist's appointment and (say) a physician's appointment at the very same time, and realized that you believed you had to be in two places at the same time.

These examples too, are quite different from believing both that water has the chemical composition H2O and water doesn't have the chemical composition H2O, aren't they? However, I assume that you have here stated that you have held directly contradictory beliefs.

from the fact that two statements contradict one another, it does not follow that you cannot believe both of them.

But your example seems to me to be trivial. I have, of course, actual experience of over-booking myself, that is to say that I have been actually committed to being in two different places at the same time, so my belief that I should be in two different places at the same time was correct. If you think that there is a contradiction in this, then there are true contradictions and these true contradictions can be known. But I doubt very much that you believe that there are true contradictions, so I doubt very much that you believe that you've provided a contradiction with your example. Or do you believe that you have offered an example which is both a contradiction and not a contradiction?

That doesn't show there are true contradictions. It shows that a person may believe two propositions which contradict each other.

The propositions, in your example, dont contradict each other. Returning to Zetherin's example, that he can believe both that the chemical composition of water is and is not H2O, you claim to have held directly contradictory beliefs, such as this. What is your example?

That my girlfriend is faithful and that she is not faithful. How is that?

What difference does the example make?

Redundant, as I already gave the example of believing that a person is both stupid and intelligent. Do you think it's true that there is a person, Zetherin or other, who believes both that the chemical composition of water is and is not H2O?

Absolutely no idea. How would I know what some people believe?

Do you think it's true that there is a person, Zetherin or other, who believes both that the chemical composition of water is and is not H2O?

What exactly is the point you're making?

That examples should be at least plausible. The implications of plausible examples are likely to be quite different from those of dramatic pseudo-examples, such as the one that you offered. Sloppiness in presentation wastes everyone's time, (except perhaps Kennethamy's).

And what makes you think my example isn't plausible?

You land on a snake, go back to post 20.

Are you serious, have you actually done this? If your example was believing a person to be both stupid and intelligent, I would accept it, but the example you gave. . . .

that post describes in great detail why my example is implausible.

If not, then your example enjoys no plausibility. Personally, I have never held such a pair of beliefs, so your example is, on the face of it, implausible.

That I haven't held that pair of contradictory beliefs. . . .

I can believe that the chemical composition of water is H2O, and I can believe that the chemical composition of water is not H2O.

In short, and as I said, your example is implausible.

I think your error is that you believe that for contradictory beliefs to be held, that there must be a contradictory happening (p and ~p). But this isn't true.

For instance, I can believe that the chemical composition of water is H2O, and I can believe that the chemical composition of water is not H2O. But that I believe both, as we know, doesn't mean both propositions are true. We know that one is false.

Contradictory happenings are believable, but that doesn't imply that there are contradictory happenings. What we believe and what is, are two different things.