Meanings
- human sciencesNot occurrent; not actively present in the mind.
Non-occurrent beliefs can be recalled with varying degrees of difficulty, and if one is at the moment unable to recall a particular non-occurrent belief then it does not seem that that belief should play any role in determining whether some other occurrent belief is justified.
1999, John L. Pollock, Joseph Cruz, Contemporary Theories of Knowledge, 2nd edition, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, →ISBN, page 772 more examples
For in relevant respects the cases are entirely analogous: the notebook plays for Otto the same role that memory plays for Inga. The information in the notebook functions just like the information constituting an ordinary non-occurrent belief; it just happens that this information lies beyond the skin.
2010, Richard Menary, “Introduction: The Extended Mind in Focus”, in The Extended Mind, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 9The paper is structured as thus: In section 2, we argue that it follows from BBC that, contrary to what some philosophers claim, a substantial number of our beliefs are non-occurrent. Moreover, we provide some reason to think that, contrary to a substantial number of philosphers claim, among those non-occurrent beliefs there are not only dormant beliefs but also tacit beliefs.
2013, Nikolaj Nottelmann, Rik Peels, “Some Metaphysical Implications of a Credible Ethics of Belief”, in New Essays on Belief, Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 232
Origin
Cite this entry
non-occurrent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/non-occurrent
“non-occurrent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/non-occurrent. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “non-occurrent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/non-occurrent.
Source: non-occurrent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.