# Extended belief

> According to the essay The Extended Mind, information must meet the following criteria to constitute a belief.

According to the essay [The Extended Mind](https://wiki.g15e.com/en/pages/The%20extended%20mind%20(book.txt)), information must meet the following criteria to constitute a belief.

1. It is a constant part of the person's life, and whenever a situation calls for consulting it, the person almost always consults it and acts accordingly.
2. It must be readily accessible whenever the person wants to consult it.
3. Once the person consults it, they accept it without question.
4. The information is there because, at some point in the past, the person trusted it and placed it there.

The final criterion is debatable (for example, where beliefs form unconsciously or memories have been manipulated), but the first three are essential elements of belief.