(August 26, 2014 at 8:28 am)The Reality Salesman Wrote: The "better interpretation" depends on the mind of the individual, and whether or not their idea of a "good interpretation" is one that affirms a presupposed truth, or a reliable conclusion. Emotional investment in a presupposed truth makes one incredibly vulnerable to logical mistakes in judgement.everything can be explained that it was created so that becomes the default position. if something can be shown otherwise, then there is a forest without any trees, maybe it was a virus (intellectual of course).
For example, the child that wants to believe that Santa is real, when they begin to doubt, they will find it easier to accept implausible interpretations of the nature of Santa, so long as what they are being told affirms what they want to believe is true. But something changes in the mind of a child. And as they learn about the world, Santa's existence becomes less and less necessary. Stories that were once effective against their growing sparks of skepticism begin to trigger an attitude of incredulity because they have unwillingly withdrawn the emotional investment in their presupposed conclusion. They are now capable of suspending their belief, and the antidotes for doubt that were once effective, are now battling a healthy immunity. They have since acquired a new set of tools to battle intellectual viruses before they settle in their would-be host and make a permanent stay. A child of 4 years in age will say that the better interpretation of Santa's nature is the one that gives him a reason to perpetuate the belief that he exists. But, once that child matures, and develops a more reliable process for making accurate interpretations for the "better" of the two conflicting explanations, the conclusion they draw is now determined by an honest evaluation of intellectual merit, and not a filter of biases protecting a presupposition. It is in our very nature be blinded by our biases, and it takes much practice to strengthen our immunity to it. This practice is the critical habit of thought. I'm not talking only about religion. We form unreliable beliefs about people, relationships, purchases, investments, and career choices. Superstitious beliefs are just one of the many aspects of our lives that misinformation slips through our otherwise vigilant filter. But if we make a decision to value truth, and not affirmation, we form beliefs that are more accurate reflections of reality. It is then that we will be more aware of the forest we find ourselves in, and we will not find it so inviting to go on thinking the trees around us are all that there is.
Atheist Credo: A universe by chance that also just happened to admit the observer by chance.