Kooky beliefs: Why?

[abradley]

Am all for the fringe groups that challenge orthodoxy. Every so often they are right.

 

[warpus]

But my question is: How do seemingly clear-headed people persist in obviously false beliefs?

If you analyze every single person who believes such a thing, you will discover that they are a part of a community that believes what they do, or were at some point a part of such a community.

It starts with a sense of belonging, which can often override reason or logical thought. It feels very good to be a part of a community, especially one that seems to answer deep questions. "Nobody else has figured this out yet, but we have!" probably makes you feel pretty good too, especially if you see others in your community reveling in that feeling as well.

If I grew up in a community of young earth creationists, I would probably be one too. It's easy to say that they are "obviously false", even if they are. If you grow up with your parents, teachers, role models, etc. believing in something, it will be a lot easier to embrace it yourself. There is always some level of peer pressure to "be one of us" as well. A lot of these communities shun members who disagree, such behaviour is usually heavily discouraged. Plus how could your parents, teachers, and other role models all be wrong? To admit that they are, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, might be too much for a lot of people. It would be admitting that not only your entire life has been a lie, but also the lives of your parents, and other people who you look up to or used to look up to. It's far easier to just go with the program and continue the belief system and structure.

It's also important to note that these beliefs are often at the very centre of the community in question. It isn't just some random belief, but usually a belief that forms one of the main pillars of the community itself. To go against the belief would be to go against the community, and in many cases the community is the only thing these people know. If you can't come home at the end of a long frustrating day, where else can you go? A person without a community is a scary proposition for a lot of people. So they hold on to the community and the core beliefs that helps it survive.

 

[tetley]

I remember as a kid playing a guy who was better at chess than me, and time and again he would make these freaky, insane, suicidal moves. I could swear he was throwing the game, throwing away his bishop like that. And yet, time and again, in the end I found myself checkmated, every time. Turns out he wasn't throwing the game at all. Nor were they ever kooky moves. He was kicking my butt all along. Lesson learned.

In fact--ir's that I had never even considered the possibility that maybe he could sacrifice his bishop--he knew I would never consider that. And that was my weakness. Yet that line of thought was exactly where the win was.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

It's also important to note that these beliefs are often at the very centre of the community in question.

I think this is a dubious observation. Consider that the "central belief of the community" may just be something that a disassociated cloud of people happen to share that makes them disagreeable to you.

For example, there are plenty of people who would no doubt love to brand me as a "spokesman from the anti-vaxxer community" when the truth is I have never even met an anti-vaxxer (that I know of). I defend their rights without sharing their views while most of them probably go quietly about their business without ever even having a conversation about it, so I am more prominent than most of them are. To the best of my knowledge there is no "hey come to the picnic and have a refreshing opportunity to commune with your fellow anti-vaxxers." No "sense of belonging." No community to speak of at all. The only thing even remotely unifying them is that people who disagree with them want to lump them together.

 

[tetley]

Yeah, plus the whole community thing works the exact opposite direction for sure when you're talking about the homeopathic treatment. If a doctor orders something not AMA- or FDA-approved for a patient, he can lose his license (and his livelihood). Who do you think the pharmaceutical companies lobby to get their drugs approved (and their competitors not approved)? I got referred to a cardiologist once when my real heart problem was a vitamin B deficiency. The critics can call me "kooky" all they want--that's my heart. Vitamin B fixed it; matter closed.

 

[metalhead]

Because by knowing something you don't, they have established in their own minds that they are smarter than you...and everyone else.

This could have ended the thread. It's a defense mechanism for insecure people through which they can affirm their intellectual superiority. These people tend to be contrarians in general, because only by disagreeing with consensus can they protect their precious feelings of superiority.

There are likely other reasons as well. When communities sprout up around such beliefs, it's a way for otherwise isolated people to share something in common with others and gain a sense of community and belonging, which is a pretty basic human need.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

This could have ended the thread. It's a defense mechanism for insecure people through which they can affirm their intellectual superiority. These people tend to be contrarians in general, because only by disagreeing with consensus can they protect their precious feelings of superiority.

There are likely other reasons as well. When communities sprout up around such beliefs, it's a way for otherwise isolated people to share something in common with others and gain a sense of community and belonging, which is a pretty basic human need.

So basic, in fact, that it is what drives threads like this into existence.

"Hey, let's prove our intellect by ganging up on some kooks!"

"Great idea! That's always fun!!!"

 

[warpus]

I think this is a dubious observation. Consider that the "central belief of the community" may just be something that a disassociated cloud of people happen to share that makes them disagreeable to you.

For example, there are plenty of people who would no doubt love to brand me as a "spokesman from the anti-vaxxer community" when the truth is I have never even met an anti-vaxxer (that I know of). I defend their rights without sharing their views while most of them probably go quietly about their business without ever even having a conversation about it, so I am more prominent than most of them are. To the best of my knowledge there is no "hey come to the picnic and have a refreshing opportunity to commune with your fellow anti-vaxxers." No "sense of belonging." No community to speak of at all. The only thing even remotely unifying them is that people who disagree with them want to lump them together.

Okay, so there are people out there who don't exactly fit my explanation for the phenomenon. You can't expect every single instance of a moron believing something stupid to easily slot into a framework that works for most of them. There will always be exceptions.

Anti-vaxxer morons do form communities, too. Online forums, facebook groups, friends who hold similar beliefs, etc. There's a reason why such idiocy is so widespread these days, the internet makes it easy to form virtual communities with likeminded people. 20 years ago you might have thought to yourself: "What if vaccines are evil?", and that would have been the end of that. Today you can google it and find other idiots who believe the same thing. It might make you think: "Hey, maybe that wasn't such a stupid idea after all, if there's other people out there who also believe it"

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I rest my case.

 

[warpus]

Right, so I'm trying to "prove" my own intellect by trying to explain this.. phenomenon of people believing stupid things.

I believe several stupid things myself, I'm not a genius. You're just upset that people are questioning some of your beliefs and categorizing some of them as "stupid". If you really believe what you believe, none of that should matter to you. Stand behind your convictions like the proud human you are!

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

This could have ended the thread. It's a defense mechanism for insecure people through which they can affirm their intellectual superiority. These people tend to be contrarians in general, because only by disagreeing with consensus can they protect their precious feelings of superiority.

There are likely other reasons as well. When communities sprout up around such beliefs, it's a way for otherwise isolated people to share something in common with others and gain a sense of community and belonging, which is a pretty basic human need.

It could have ended the thread but that would be kinda kooky ending imo.

Sure superiority, insecurity or sense of belonging are all an option and quite reasonable ones too but these are just small portion of the whole psychological field man is part of.

You have to consider some more positive ones too like hunger for knowledge, seeking for wider truth, or looking for more equilibrium in life.

Often I would think one is pushed in life into considering "kooky" ideas simply because the mainstream society isnt in position to offer needed answers to the less mainstream problem/question one can have. If everybody was apart of mainstream in every way you could have forget about existence of genius or much of a human advancement as such.

 

[warpus]

Often one is pushed in life into considering "kooky" ideas simply because they are accepted by the mainstream as the truth.

It goes both ways!

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

I couldnt resist to make a tiny colection on a subject closely related to the main topic of this thread:

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.

To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity.

Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.

If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Right, so I'm trying to "prove" my own intellect by trying to explain this.. phenomenon of people believing stupid things.

I believe several stupid things myself, I'm not a genius. You're just upset that people are questioning some of your beliefs and categorizing some of them as "stupid". If you really believe what you believe, none of that should matter to you. Stand behind your convictions like the proud human you are!

Sometimes I wonder if you are actually trying to prove my points for me.

 

[warpus]

That might be a case of you not fully understanding my position more than anything.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

That might be a case of you not fully understanding my position more than anything.

I credit you with making it extremely clear, so that seems unlikely, but anything is possible.

 

[warpus]

So I mean, it should then be equally easy to point out which parts of my position and/or retort you disagree with.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

So I mean, it should then be equally easy to point out which parts of my position and/or retort you disagree with.

I don't disagree with any of it. I don't share your view, but that isn't disagreement, as views aren't facts.

 

[caketastydelish]

I have a cooky belief:

Spoiler :

7/ll was a part time job. Don't believe the media's lies!

 

[Hygro]

This could have ended the thread. It's a defense mechanism for insecure people through which they can affirm their intellectual superiority. These people tend to be contrarians in general, because only by disagreeing with consensus can they protect their precious feelings of superiority.

There are likely other reasons as well. When communities sprout up around such beliefs, it's a way for otherwise isolated people to share something in common with others and gain a sense of community and belonging, which is a pretty basic human need.

Or just not.