I venture to say that most of us take for granted the
reasons for why we believe what we do and what we don’t. After all it is a process we automatically
and without forewarning enter into as soon as we became able to grasp our first
the-terrace-by-david-mcdonaldconcepts about the world. To complicate matters
our world is filled with biased learning sources and our own thinking is
subject to certain subconscious tendencies predisposing us to believe in ideas
having little or no validity outside of our heads. Anthropologists,
psychologists and other cognitive scientists use the term veridicality to refer
to the degree of relationship between the ideas we have about how or why
anything exists or functions and the actuality of it.
For example, it was once believed the universe revolved
around the earth (geocentric view) when in actuality the earth revolves around
the sun (heliocentric view). The idea of a geocentric view would persist for
over 2000 years until better tools (telescope) and methods (scientific process)
were developed. Therefore the degree of veridicality between the idea of a
geocentric universe (an erroneous understanding) versus a heliocentric universe
(the actuality) was zero. There was absolutely no correspondence between what
was believed (geo-centrism) and the reality of helio-centrism. The “truth” is
then any idea, belief or concept that accords with independently verifiable
evidence. Everything else is either a fabrication, a speculation yet to be
proved or disproved or an idea already proved false.
The scenario just shared illustrates the basic difference
between many mythosophical concepts (spiritual, religious, philosophical) and
scientific discovery.
Scientific discovery employs a methodology to remove as much
error as possible from our knowledge. Scientific understanding evolves via a
commitment to incorporate new information as it is proved trustworthy. The
development of better tools and methods has and will continue to upturn the
many erroneous ideas persisting and abound in our world. Many mythosophical
concepts are based on the primitive and un-evolved understandings of our
ancient ancestors. Most present day adherents of religious ideology resist the
evolution or further development of their religious concepts.
There are reasons for the resistance to what would seem to
be the smartest thing to do. New evidence should compel a revision of out-dated
beliefs, but the present world leadership does not operate that way. Our tools
are unimaginably complex and evolved, but our social organizations are as
primitive as at the start of Western Civilization some 6000 years ago. It would
be an easy job to remove obsolete ideas were it not for the deadly and
persistent forces fighting for their continuance.
The Delusion and the Deluders Biased Learning Sources
Three fundamental factors stand in the way of an
“enlightened society”.
The first and most formidable obstacle is the tyrannical
resistance of the established religio-political-commercial systems ( prevailing
culture ) religious-illusions of the West. Blind spot number two is the
liability inherent in certain learning acquired during childhood and
adolescence. Learning which then makes it difficult to release any errant and
embedded ideas which have come by way of pervasive and persistent outside
agents (propagandists). Propagandists who offer ideas they would have us believe
in and adhere to, regardless of their validity or consequences to us or others
for supporting such ideas. The propagandist maybe an older sibling, parent,
teacher, politician, priests or the millions of sales pitches thrown at us over
the course of a year.
The third roadblock is the effectiveness of assembly-line,
mass-educational efforts, ie., government approved public education and mass
media propaganda campaigns.
The foregoing examples are what I mean by biased learning
sources.
Being instructed during childhood or at any age is not a
liability in of itself. The liability lies in the content of what is offered
and its consequences to us or others if the promoters are successful in
training us (indoctrination) to believe and therefore act in accordance with
their wishes. We would be wise to root out what has been either maliciously
(propaganda) or erroneously implanted in our minds. In the Western world much
of what we are taught via the mainstream channels is either invalid, harmful to
us, others and or the environment.
The Deluder Within
Subconscious tendencies are biases existing independent of
outside influence. We are born with them or it may be that our cultural
language structure may predispose us to certain ways of thinking. Psychologists
and alike use the term “promiscuous teleology” to define the tendency of young
children to describe the world in terms of design and purpose. I wish to
substitute the more telling phrase of erroneous attribution of purpose.
Childlike reasoning is also used to describe the natural tendency of not only
children, but of college students as well.
The other primary subconscious mental tendency is what I
call non-clinical confabulation. Clinical confabulation is a recognized mental
disorder. Most mental disorders are often time everyday human behaviors taken
to extremes. NCC results from an incomplete understanding or incorrect
perception of the subject in question and of the human tendency to sometimes
spontaneously and automatically fill in the blanks.
It’s an automatic function of our subconscious brain
processing to arrive at the quickest interpretation of an item or situation.
Our conscious mind is often times the awareness of what the subconscious mind
has brought to our attention. As a thought or perception enters our awareness
our conscious mind seeks to attribute a rational or best explanation of why we
said, thought or did.
In other words we are naturally biased to explain objects or
events with what we have at our immediate disposal even if our rational is not
based on any evidence or valid logical process. As one can see the road to
“truth” is not only riddled with pot holes and infested with landmines, but
there are also innumerable forks in the road. An open mind, life long learning
and a reliance evidence based information will help diminish the chances of
believing in and acting upon erroneous and harmful ideas.
Uprising2012 vid
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