Donate!
Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register :: View Members
Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
On confirmation bias and Gnosticism (Read 22 times)
NHLycan
Junior Member
**
Offline

Nice forum!

Posts: 86
New Hampshire
Gender: male
On confirmation bias and Gnosticism
11/25/20 at 04:18:51
 

There's a funny mindset some folks have. There's two frames you can use to describe it; C.B. and Gnosticism.

The first is more likely to yield actionable results as it's a fairly well understood bit of psychology. In short, it describes the process where by people shunt away any information which causes them pain.

You can actually train yourself away from this tendency. There's a whole working group calling themselves Less Wrong more or less dedicated to minimizing this cognitive error. But it takes work. Like losing weight or learning a new skill, there's some discomfort.

So, we've got that hurdle. Every darned one of us.

The Gnostic element is more fun.
It looks like reasoning to the ignorant but it's the opposite. The Gnostics start with their guts. Once they know something because they feel it, they begin piling up facts to support the revelation they just know to be true. And then it hardens into a faith.

A more perfect example then the vast election conspiracy craziness we're living through, you will not find. The facts are all secondary. What's important is that these cultists know it to be true. Biden cheated.  

Then, after the tenet is settled, they begin assembling data to support it. Research. Lots of research.  And just important as collecting all that disparate junk which makes such a convincing picture for them, is flushing down the memory hole all the facts which call it into question.

I'm not sure it's dishonest. It's certainly wrong but that's different. It's almost analogous to the blind spot in our vision. They can't see all the reasons that what they believe is crazy. It just melts away as soon as they see it.  As a result, honesty is therefore impossible because they serve a higher truth. When they tell you something true it's accidental and in service to a larger lie.  All they can manage is earnestness.

That's how C.B. finds itself in service to gnosticism.


I roped gnostic thinking into this because I wanted to be clear about something: I'm not going to argue with anyone about their faith. That's not a good use of my time. It doesn't matter if it's something as traditional as Zen Buddhism or as modern the conspiracies around Hunter Biden's laptop. Healthy or toxic, the end result is the same; a hardening of their faith. They'll know it's true BECAUSE all the facts deny it and because heretics attack them for their faith.

Life is short. I've got stuff that needs attention. These leaves won't rake themselves.  And on some level people choose this. Like taking that first snort of Oxy. Because it's easier than being an adult and dealing with reality. Then their choices narrow in the face of their need for more.


They can dig themselves out.  






Back to top
 
 

New Hampshire. 2003 SL650. 13k miles. Raptor installed. Versy adjuster. Rotella 6 w/zinc. Idle mix plug out. Seat front up 1". Owned since July 2013. Mechanically inclined. Better cook than mechanic.
  IP Logged
WebsterMark
Serious Thumper
*****
Offline

SuzukiSavage.com
Rocks!

Posts: 12808

Gender: male
Re: On confirmation bias and Gnosticism
Reply #1 - 11/25/20 at 06:08:44
 
Says a guy from the group who thinks Trump is another Hitler...

Look, you stole the diamonds and got away with it. Don’t leave a pink glove at the scene. Just go enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Back to top
 
 
  IP Logged
Pages: 1
Send Topic Print


« Home

 
« Home
SuzukiSavage.com
03/28/24 at 01:35:36



General CategoryPolitics, Religion (Tall Table) › On confirmation bias and Gnosticism


SuzukiSavage.com » Powered by YaBB 2.2!
YaBB © 2000-2007. All Rights Reserved.