shikimorilover69
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Why should you believe something that is true?
if a truth is:
- something that is emotionally unsatisfying and not something that a person WANTS to believe (e.g it makes them feel emotionally insecure, goes against past strong beliefs,)
- complicated to understand,
- and has no immediate consequence if you ignore it
Why would anyone actually believe it?
Is there any incentive to belive something like that?
From a pure self-interest standpoint, there isn't one. Take, the state of the economy; a simple lie or narrative that makes you feel good and lets you blame "them" for your problems is way better than spending hours understanding supply chain economics or whatever. And if you aren't working in finance, or say the truth was related to medicine, and you aren't in the profession related to that topic, where getting it wrong could literally kill people, there's no actual pressure either to believe that truth. Believing such a falsehood has no immediate consequence
Also, believing the simple story comes with social rewards and like halo effect. The people around you believe it, you believe it, you all feel like you "understand" what's happening, and that you're smarter than everyone, when in reality you don't. versus the complex truth, which is like "actually it's a bunch of interconnected factors with no clear cause". Ppl around you have no time or are too retarded to understand that, and its too boring and depressing and doesn't give you anyone to fight or doesnt stimulate your emotions the right way.
We live in a society where you can just be wrong about everything and be fine. Think about social media, this forum, if your ancestors believed some false conspiracy about farming?? They fucking starved, but you believe something false about inflation or politics or whatever? you still eat, still have a job, still get along fine, and you keep spreading false beliefs all over the internet. And that falsehood gets popular because people want to believe it. So reality doesn't enforce itself, its what's popular which enforces itself
Also, we've made it really easy to surround yourself with people who believe the same wrong thing you do. There is no one to call you out on the bullshit you say online because the algorithms have made it so you interact with people who also agree with you.
The only reason you would want to belive something that is hard to understand and not emotionally stimulating is that,
1. you're the type of person who cares about being right, like it bothers you personally to believe false things, and you've built your identity around that. and we all think we are like that but I assure you the rigor needed to continously challenge your own beliefs is rare.
2. If you need to understand it to solve your actual problems, and if your life depends on getting it right, you'll learn, e.g if its related to your profession. But most of us are not politicans or economists
3. If you are a person who likes tot hink and enjoys understanding the complex systems, then you may like to think about an issue, but none of us have the time nor the will to always contemplate these things, and everyone who says they are a thinker are just larps
Aside from that? Everything else is just people believing what feels good
And if it feels bad or boring to believe the truth, why should you believe the truth?
if a truth is:
- something that is emotionally unsatisfying and not something that a person WANTS to believe (e.g it makes them feel emotionally insecure, goes against past strong beliefs,)
- complicated to understand,
- and has no immediate consequence if you ignore it
Why would anyone actually believe it?
Is there any incentive to belive something like that?
From a pure self-interest standpoint, there isn't one. Take, the state of the economy; a simple lie or narrative that makes you feel good and lets you blame "them" for your problems is way better than spending hours understanding supply chain economics or whatever. And if you aren't working in finance, or say the truth was related to medicine, and you aren't in the profession related to that topic, where getting it wrong could literally kill people, there's no actual pressure either to believe that truth. Believing such a falsehood has no immediate consequence
Also, believing the simple story comes with social rewards and like halo effect. The people around you believe it, you believe it, you all feel like you "understand" what's happening, and that you're smarter than everyone, when in reality you don't. versus the complex truth, which is like "actually it's a bunch of interconnected factors with no clear cause". Ppl around you have no time or are too retarded to understand that, and its too boring and depressing and doesn't give you anyone to fight or doesnt stimulate your emotions the right way.
We live in a society where you can just be wrong about everything and be fine. Think about social media, this forum, if your ancestors believed some false conspiracy about farming?? They fucking starved, but you believe something false about inflation or politics or whatever? you still eat, still have a job, still get along fine, and you keep spreading false beliefs all over the internet. And that falsehood gets popular because people want to believe it. So reality doesn't enforce itself, its what's popular which enforces itself
Also, we've made it really easy to surround yourself with people who believe the same wrong thing you do. There is no one to call you out on the bullshit you say online because the algorithms have made it so you interact with people who also agree with you.
The only reason you would want to belive something that is hard to understand and not emotionally stimulating is that,
1. you're the type of person who cares about being right, like it bothers you personally to believe false things, and you've built your identity around that. and we all think we are like that but I assure you the rigor needed to continously challenge your own beliefs is rare.
2. If you need to understand it to solve your actual problems, and if your life depends on getting it right, you'll learn, e.g if its related to your profession. But most of us are not politicans or economists
3. If you are a person who likes tot hink and enjoys understanding the complex systems, then you may like to think about an issue, but none of us have the time nor the will to always contemplate these things, and everyone who says they are a thinker are just larps
Aside from that? Everything else is just people believing what feels good
And if it feels bad or boring to believe the truth, why should you believe the truth?
