The Psychology of Belief

[anaklio]

In a hierarchy, the upper levels often try to create the illusion that they behave differently from the lower levels. However, an ultimate hierarchy, the ancient Greek system, reveals the truth. Please recall that the gods were doing the exact same thing as the believers: running around having sex with each other and getting into trouble.

I bring this up because doctors and psychologists are the exact same as car salesmen and factory workers. Some of them are wonderful and some of them are awful. It's not good to group all of them as bad, but it's not wise to group all of them as good either.

[Bill Hemphill]

I agree about the psychologists but not the hierarchy. There are higher levels of understanding, aren't there?

[anaklio]

The highest level of understand is recognizing that there is no truth and that you could easily be wrong.

[voodoo scientist]

The highest level of understand is recognizing that there is no truth and that you could easily be wrong.

That's one of the most fundamentally contradictory statements I've read this week.

[liza123]

Sorry Voodoo, God is truth. I try to explain to others that honesty is not truth. But sometimes what a person is saying honestly is the truth. Ignorance and honesty are a bad combination.

Sorry, Bill. I accept your statement that "God is truth". I believe it as well. But, what do you mean by honesty is not truth?In what context?Quote an example.
Why would ignorance and honesty be a bad combination? In the practical world?

[voodoo scientist]

See what happens when you shroud your intelligent points in voodoo, Bill?

What Bill should have said was that humans can't perceive truth, but a being with perfect perception could. Humans can be honest, but their perception is flawed, so what they profess as truth is equally flawed (honesty), except on the random chance they get it right (truth) - but, as fellow humans with flawed perception, we have no way to tell exactly when that is (flawed perception).

[liza123]

See what happens when you shroud your intelligent points in voodoo, Bill?

What Bill should have said was that humans can't perceive truth, but a being with perfect perception could. Humans can be honest, but their perception is flawed, so what they profess as truth is equally flawed (honesty), except on the random chance they get it right (truth) - but, as fellow humans with flawed perception, we have no way to tell exactly when that is (flawed perception).

Thank you for your explanation, voodoo. But, the question was posed to Bill since he was the writer(please note my quote from him. I also wanted to know about his reference to ignorance).

[Karaten]

I used to think the problem was something unique to religion

The ammunition for denial is not of a specific caliber, the desperate human mind to somehow justify his delusive desires run deep within him and he will grasp at any hope of proving this ideal. To systematically destroy truth through selective attention and denial of all else.

The human, the desired, philosophic, and cosmic creature in an otherwise cold world causes great distress, to look and see the silent world around him, he has a voice, he has goals, the idea for a greater cause, in a world that otherwise doesn't. So, he creates them. He convinces himself of them, looking up at the sun, his need for meaning causing a perception that magnifies meaning, giving the soul. This feeling, so very convincing, must be true.

I don't see how science couldn't be used in a similar sense, ignoring pieces. 

[pljames]

When my grandaughter was in grammer school some boy told her there was no santa clause. I ask her what she believed and she believed in Santa Clause. So knowing Santa was a myth and she was a child, I could not tell her this boy was telling the truth. She would grow and learn Santa was myth.

And so goes why people believe what they believe. I just listen and learn but do not judge with or with out facts. pljames

[SWM]

@pljames, it is very interesting to read all these old threads you have been digging up.

[pljames]

@pljames, it is very interesting to read all these old threads you have been digging up.

They are only my experiences in my life. Do they contribute anything worth while? pl