Despairing over the futility of so many discussions I encounter, and the mere recitation of the previous point in a louder voice, I wondered if there were some present who were not even able to change their mind. There is a poster that has alternating near-identical lines "Taxing billionaires will solve Problem A/Deporting illegal immigrants will solve Problem A. Taxing billionaires will solve problem B/Deporting illegal immigrants will solve Problem B..." for about eight things, with every other one crossed out. I forget who it favored, but it doesn't matter. The real answer matters, but it doesn't matter in terms of the current national discussion. Similarly WRT the fertility crisis, it's the women's fault, it's the men's fault.
One of the interesting discoveries discoveries about the persistence of delusions is that acetylcholine transfer in the brain is impaired for those with the illness, and that is tied to the formation of stories and comparing narratives. There are certain types of arguments you don't want to get into with an autist. Yet those two categories do not in any way exhaust the percentage of people who are unmoved by any reasoning. I dare say it applies to all of us, and often. Persistence of belief has advantages after all. Who wants to get up every morning taking everything under question?
The probability of this being on a continuum looks high, doesn't it? Also, it looks situational, where some beliefs overturn easily. It really is 7 minutes quicker to take the highway. Incentives matter. The ones that are immovable are more tied to our status and reputation. Folks want to belong to the Good Team and don't you dare try and take that away from them. The smart/righteous/strong/modern/fashionable team. This is more powerful than courses in logic or those websites about bias - unless, of course we are aspiring to be recognised as a member of the logical team. Then we change jerseys to play for the Logics. I have said we are more likely to have our mind changed by someone who agrees with us 90% of the time than by an opponent.
When we hear stories of people changing their minds about major things it is often after painful disillusionment or shocking revelation. Going on a foreign mission trip might change a child more than years of Christian schooling. Yet the incentive of getting along with our chosen group works the same magic. If we move to a different society, even a different neighborhood or job, we have incentive to worship the gods of that city. With the latter we don't always notice it happening.
Yet sometimes I wonder whether we exceed amoebae in our reasoning ability, merely responding to external stimuli. I am principled. You are stubborn. He is pig-headed.
No comments:
Post a Comment