Saturday, 22 February 2014
Why beliefs are important
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beliefs
,
changing beliefs
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false beliefs
,
kuru
,
religion
Our beliefs, working with our emotions, play a crucial role in determining how we will react in any situation. Our emotions and beliefs engage in an intricate dance, moving so quickly and quietly that we are usually unaware of their tireless cavorting. This frenetic dance drives our behaviour and leaves us, to a significant extent, as mere spectators. That is why beliefs play a such big part in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
How are beliefs acquired?
You may think, as intelligent creatures, we use our intellect to arrive at our beliefs. But we don't. We have little direct control over our beliefs. Many are laid down in childhood and are stubbornly resistant to change.We have evolved to be this way for a reason. Our childhood socialisation, gives us beliefs and skills to ensure we fit within our social group. Social groups are likely to be more harmonious, productive and effective when they share common beliefs. Our beliefs are part of our culture.
Are our beliefs true?
Our beliefs are not necessarily true. Religious affiliation is an example of a cultural belief. There are 22 major religions in the world today and many thousands if we include minor religions and those that are no longer practiced. Since, these religions have contradictory beliefs, we can be sure that many religious beliefs are not true (and they may all be untrue).Are untrue beliefs harmful?
Some untrue beliefs are positively harmful. Every year we see examples of people dying of easily curable illnesses, such as diabetes, because they believe prayer offers superior treatment than medicine. This is particularly tragic when children are the victims.Kuru is an incurable and deadly neurological disease found among the Fore, Yate, and Usanufa tribes in Papua New Guinea. The disease was first reported in 1953 by two anthropologists, Ronald and Catherine Berndt.
Kuru was of epidemic proportions in Papua New Guinea but was not known anywhere else in the world. The cause was traced to a form of prion protein that lodged primarily in the brain and central nervous system of carriers and was passed to members of these tribes by their cannibalistic funeral practices—it was considered a sacred duty to eat the bodies of deceased relatives which was believed to return the deceased person's "lifeforce" to the tribe.
Researchers noted that the disease was much more prevalent among women and children than among men. This turned out to be because men were entitled to the choice cuts of the corpse whilst the women and children were left with the organs, central nervous system and brains.
The Australian government outlawed cannibalism and the practice eventually came to a halt. The last person to die of kuru died in 2005.
Can we change our beliefs?
What happens when someone challenges one of our unproven beliefs? A rational person would acknowledge the challenge, evaluate the evidence for the contrary belief and, if the contrary belief is sufficiently well-supported, abandon the former belief.But guess what? Almost no-one does that. What we do is think of ways to defend our false belief. Or avoid getting into challenging discussions. Or walk away from them. Or get angry—we may even lash out at our tormentor.
We do have a rational brain but, too often, we use it fruitlessly to search for arguments to support the beliefs we enjoy rather than to seek beliefs that are true.
Not all beliefs are equal. Some are foundational and buried deeply with strong emotional ties. You could think of an inverted pyramid of beliefs where the higher beliefs rely on the lower beliefs.
For example, you may believe in the Christian God. This may make you believe the Bible is the word of God and is inerrant which, in turn, may make you believe the universe is 6,000 years old and that life was created and, therefore, did not evolve. Very many beliefs may hinge on the foundational belief that God is real.
So sometimes, you cannot change a single belief, there may be a domino effect and you may have to change many interdependent beliefs.
Despite the difficulties, people do change their beliefs although they rarely change overnight. More often, deep, emotion-laden foundational beliefs take years to change. Some people say it feels like going through a grieving process.
Why bother to change your beliefs?
Trying to believe only things that are true may have minimal benefit for you or, depending on your beliefs, it may transform your life. It may make you safer, happier, nicer and give you a more fulfilling life.It is possible that believing false things could harm you but it is very unlikely that believing true things will.
Believing true things puts you in charge; believing false things can make you vulnerable and make you a victim. As Sam Harris said, "There is no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too reasonable."
For me, apart from the practical benefits of believing true things, there is something else. Not believing false things is quite simply a matter of self-respect.
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Nildogma, the blogga
About Me
- Nildogma
- As a 20-year-old I was insatiably curious about the world and passionate about rejecting superstitions and all kinds of false beliefs. I still am today. Sometimes when people believe things that are not true, it make little or no difference but sometimes the consequences can be disastrous and deadly. Now, I do what I can to help people improve their thinking skills, especially in how they impinge on core beliefs, such as cultural values and religious beliefs. I have an active Facebook page for which I create memes and write articles almost daily. I also engage people in on-line debates. You can find me here: https://www.facebook.com/bill.flavell.1 I lecture at universities around the world and present or debate at public meetings. I also, draw on my management consultancy background to help freethought groups, almost anywhere in the world, to get organised, develop strategy and improve their media and presentation skills. If you would like me to present at your university or for your church group or freethought group, please contact me.
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