Delusion

[Angrboda]

You seem to be implying that our beliefs can and should be changed by evidence, primarily; that you are saying that evidence combined with sound reasoning results in beliefs, in the absence of delusion or other pathology. You seem to put the effects of reasoning and evidence on our beliefs on a par with history, environment, biology, cognitive bias and so on. What evidence do you have that this is true of the human mind? I'm inclined to believe that reason plays a subservient role to emotion and other evolved psychological mechanisms, but I'm not going to make that case here. You seem, in framing the concept of delusion as you do, to be implying that forming and maintaining beliefs in line with the evidence is normal, and forming and maintaing beliefs based on non-rational cognitive processes and influence is therefore an abnormality. Granted, studying cognitive bias is a hobby of mine, so I may tend to see that component in an exagerrated light, but I think the rationalist view is an equally distorted picture of human nature. Do you have any evidence that the rationalist paradigm is normal, useful, and healthy? If not, it would seem this entire line of thinking falls apart. What do you actually know about the processes which govern belief formation and maintenance?