You'd also have a fair bit of other knowledge that would contribute to a sense that this is a reasonable idea, for example things like these, possibly:Would you admit that you in fact DO believe lots of things solely on the basis of testimony? For example, if a good friend you've lost touch with called you up and said that she'd moved back to town, you wouldn't "suspend disbelief". You'd automatically believe her. You wouldn't demand proof or wait for your friend to be "personally evidenced" to you. You'd take her word for it and immediately act on that belief. You'd make arrangements to meet, inquire about her circumstances, etc.
- the local phone number that came up on the call display when she called
- the knowledge that the place she says she'll be working was looking for new employees not too long ago
- the knowledge that the new address she gives you matches up with either an individual house for sale or with a new subdivision
- physical or measurable signs she'd given before that indicated she wanted to move back to town
- knowledge of the causes or events that spurred her to leave her previous home (e.g.: "the plant closed down" - yep, heard about that in the news. "My house was wiped out by a hurricane" - heard about that, too. "My husband cheated on me, so I left him" - he was a jerk; that sounds plausible)
Years ago, my parents bought a Toyota Corolla and phoned me up to tell me. Even before seeing the car, I believed them.Besides this imaginary scenario, there are plenty of things you believe right now that you believe only because other people you trust have told you so. And yes, your belief is more than a suspension of disbelief (as if you walk around in a constant state of disbelief until proven/personally evidenced otherwise!).
If they had phoned me up and told me that they had bought a Dodge Viper, I wouldn't have believed them for a number of reasons. Given what I knew of my parents, it wouldn't have been a reasonable thing to believe that they would buy a big, flashy, expensive, impractical, gas-hungry, two-seater sports car.
Apparently, just being told something is not enough to get me to believe it... not even by people who I trust deeply. What do you think the difference is between "we bought a Corolla" and "we bought a Viper" that pushes the Corolla up into the realm of believability?