Humans are not wired to want the truth

by rebel8 24 Replies latest jw friends

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  LisaRose

  I agree, we seem to only accept information that fits in with our beliefs or our concept of ourselves.

  If you want to see cognitive dissonance in action, read this blog by a mother who did not believe in vaccines. Her children got whooping cough, and were so sick they were vomiting from coughing, but she just kept giving them more homeopathic medicine, chiropractic visits and herbs, despite no improvement.she believed immunity from having contracted the illness was better than immunity from vaccines, despite any evidence, other than her faith in homeopathy.

  https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-horrible-consequences-of-seeking-natural-immunity-naturopathy-and-whooping-cough/
  
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  rebel8

  Within the last few years, I re-examined by beliefs about alt med and GMOs. It was hard to do--I had to seek out legitimate publications and look at evidence as a body instead of anecdotes. It was also a little humiliating to learn that my beliefs were bunk, one by one.

  It takes courage and effort to understand real science.

  It takes no effort to believe quackery.

  I can tell you this: It's worthwhile. Free yourself from the vestiges of jw science denying. It's exhilarating.
  

  Vaccines--this is probably the best, most effective scientific advancement of our time. Overwhelming evidence is freely available proving safety. And most people can get their vaccines at no charge. Yet people are refusing this fabulous technology in favor of believing woo and conspiracy theories. So sad.
  

  With a few clicks on sites like Google Scholar, NIH, or sciencebasedmedicine.org, you can find the truth about why there is an increase in the # of autism cases diagnosed, why girls are going into puberty younger, etc. These are not unknowns.

  Good luck in your pursuits. :)
  
• 

  Brokeback Watchtower

  We have a built in bias towards things we like, we like sometimes to have our ears tickled, truth envovles harsh realities from which we have a bias to rejection. Truth is valuable but hard to except sometimes when it demolishes cherished hopes.
• 

  truthseeker100

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vDWWy4CMhE

  A personal hero of mine. He faced divisions in his own family as well as the disfellowshipping hatred of the KKK.

  Let freedom rein!
• 

  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Perhaps people need to feel special, smarter than the rest. Rather than doing actual study and research (which is work) they grab hold of anything they hear that gives the appearance of having "inside knowledge" that others don't know or accept.

  The beginning of indoctrination in the JW cult involves "study" of "inside knowledge" about the bible and a collection of troovz that other people don't know or accept. Rather than doing actual study and research, they get spoon fed a collection of lies that gives them a feeling of being special, smarter, and having an imaginary relationship with a Bronze Age desert god.

  Certainly, there are plenty of religions, conspiracy theories, etc. that claim to be "the truth". So it's not that people deliberately choose lies. They want answers to hard questions and can't deal with there not being an easy answer. I think they want to pick "the truth" that is easy for them to stomach and gives them a feeling of being especially smart.

  What causes autism? Well, we need an easy answer. Blaming it on witches would be too 18th century, so they'll go with blaming it on vaccines. Doesn't that sound a lot more scientific and 21st century? ... well, except for the fact that real scientific research proves that vaccines don't cause autism.