RE: What makes people irrational thinkers?
January 4, 2022 at 12:57 pm
(This post was last modified: January 4, 2022 at 1:13 pm by Paleophyte.)
(December 11, 2021 at 5:35 pm)SlowCalculations Wrote: I have been thinking lately when it comes to how people become rational thinkers. It seems that some people are born questioning everything
and it never really goes away it may be repressed, but doesn't leave allowing them to eventually escape. Then there are some people who seem to not have that spark of curiosity. Here's a short story that brought this thought to my mind: I was a person who questioned even when I was superstitious, I always doubted my own beliefs and it led me to atheism and rationality on its own. But I had a friend who if you gave her a fake video of a ghost and it's obvious it's being done by another person she'll believe it. It doesn't even have to be a ghost either it could be a simple as a fake cooking video and she'll believe it. Questioning to her was always "Overthinking" and if you were overthinking it led to suffering. She wasn't a person who went to church very often but her family was religious and very harmful. I got older and wiser and as much as I tried to help her turn the perspective around she never changed. While I was moving forward she chose to stay behind no matter how much logic or reason was given. It was never enough. Sometimes it was willing ignorance other times it was just ignorance. I never figured it out or learned to wrap my head around it. Why is it some people even from a young age just refuse to think for themselves?
Even when they're not caught up in church-going?
Humans are inquisitive, not rational. It's why we find math so difficult. If we were innately rational thinkers then calculus would be so much easier to grasp. Instead, our brains and minds are the product of billions of years of evolution that has lead to an organic snarl of competing and counterproductive impulses, instincts, emotions, and biases. Overcoming those is a life long challenge that none of us every truly complete. This is hampered in many people by an upbringing in an environment that actively discourages questioning or thought in favour of belief, devotion, and obedience.
On top of that the purpose of thinking is to stop thinking. You're evolved to solve a problem quickly, and often poorly, and then cease this needlessly wasteful cogitation. Thinking is an energy intensive exercise that you have evolved to avoid. It's as unhealthy for you as continuously sprinting or doing chin-ups every waking moment of your life. Philosophy is not an aspiration that evolution selects for. Which is great until your species develops beyond the stone age and starts creating hellishly complicated social and technological problems that actually require some skull sweat to prevent the collapse of civilization.
(December 28, 2021 at 9:42 pm)Belacqua Wrote: "Burden of proof" is way overrated.
Excellent. You're a moron. You're so utterly lacking in the most basic capacities for self-evaluation as to be utterly incapable of grasping the depths of your own imbecility. Since we've discarded the burden of proof I need do nothing more that assert this and since you're more witless than a sheep we need not pay your response any heed.
I hope that my little diversion into absurdity has illustrated for you why, "Whoever shovels the bullshit gets to back it up." Or should we do away with "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" while you're at it?
