Why do people believe in strange things?

Discussion in 'Human Science' started by Light, Jan 5, 2006.

  1. Light Registered Senior Member

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    No, I'm not talking about the lady three doors down with the imitation pink flamingos in her yard.

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    I'm being sort of kindhearted and generous in using the word "strange" because I actually mean very strange, weird, and illogical. Things like also sorts of psi activities, ghosts, demons, UFOs, the casting of real magic spells, crop circles - things like that.

    And I'm sure several of you know I could easily write between five and ten full pages on the topic. But what I'd really like to see is non-professional people discussing this. There seems to be a pretty large number of people here who believe in some of this in one form or another. Possibly as high as 60% or more of the most active posters.

    Is it just because it's "cool"? Or only because it's interesting? What are your thoughts on the matter?
     
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  3. ellion Magician & Exorcist (93) Registered Senior Member

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    you need to identify what belief is to human consciousness to begin to answer that question seriously.
     
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  5. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Because people have not generally been taught any methods with which to judge what is true or not.
     
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  7. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    Well, love is "...very strange, weird, and illogical...", yet almost everyone on Earth believes in love. They can't touch it, describe it, prove it, or anything else, yet...?

    I mean, don't get me wrong, I think I understand your question, but I think it also covers so much ground as to be something that can't even be discussed. Perhaps you should narrow your topic just a bit?

    Baron Max
     
  8. Raithere plagued by infinities Valued Senior Member

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    People believe weird things in order to make the world comprehensible and to attempt to control events.

    ~Raithere
     
  9. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    Certainly people are wanting more.
     
  10. Light Registered Senior Member

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    Yes, I'm sure you get the point, Max.

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    But I'll play along - love is a pretty common thing, so let's restrict it to uncommon things similar to what I listed to start with.
     
  11. leopold Valued Senior Member

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    good question light. i have witnessed things i could never explain, maybe even a UFO but i always passed them off as "normal" or "natural".
    one must remember the placebo effect.
    the power of the mind is awesome.
     
  12. leopold Valued Senior Member

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    you mentioned in "developing telepathy" thread that you had a telepathic experience but do not believe in it. if you experienced it why don't you believe?
     
  13. Dinosaur Rational Skeptic Valued Senior Member

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    Asimov once suggested that belief in nonsense is a conserved quantity like momentum. When the number beliieving in UFO's goes down, the number believing in Cold Fusion or something else goes up.

    I think that belief in various forms of nonsense is related to the lack of abilities like critical judgment and logical analysis. I am constantly astonished by well educated and intelligent people who believe in all sorts of weird concepts. When you discuss their views with them, you discover that they use all sorts of fallacious arguments, which they consider valid.
     
  14. Light Registered Senior Member

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    Agreed. I witnessed two rather unusual events myself that might fall in the UFO category. But they didn't cause me to start believing that ETs were visiting the Earth.
     
  15. leopold Valued Senior Member

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    "search lights" in the sky was mine.
    reminded me of "ball lightning" but there was no sound.
    i still haven't been able to explain it.
     
  16. Light Registered Senior Member

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    Mine were immense blue fireballs, perhaps 1/2 mile or more across and seen from 10 - 15 miles away. The events were at least 20 years apart in time and something like 800 miles in distance. I never figured them out or got a satisfactory explanation from anyone either.
     
  17. Anomalous Banned Banned

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    Sometimes its the humbleness of the person that makes them not to rule out the possibilities of somethings that can exist and are beyond human comprehension.

    Serious, do U think u know everything about existence for sure ?
     
  18. Mosheh Thezion Registered Senior Member

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    People... Humans,.... are insane.... stupid animals... who can willingly believe just about anything.... hence the need for a long education to prevent... stupidity.!

    -MT
     
  19. Light Registered Senior Member

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    And seriously right back, I doubt anyone would be so brash. And you would have to be very careful with that first statement. What some might consider "humble" would, in many cases, be more accurately called "naive."

    There's no problem with those truly humble people who would honestly answer, "I don't know" but it's quite another thing to attempt to explain something in an irrational way, is it not?
     
  20. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    You mean, the little people?

    Interesting, yes. Cool, I doubt it. I've always had an interest in those things, an interest that it seems very few people I know share. So no, I'm not jumping on any fad-wagon by believing in such things.

    There are plenty of them as regards paranormal beliefs and/or New Age religions.

    Professional skeptics like James Randi or CSICOP also have their own fad-wagons. And agendas.

    You don't have to be a hardcore believer or a hardcore non-believer either. You can exist in the middle. Many people do. I trust them the most.

    I don't trust people who believe everything they hear on Art Bell's radio show. I also don't trust people who think they've used science to debunk and disprove every strange phenomenon anyone has ever experienced. Both sides have vested interests in their agendas.
    And need I mention that money is involved? Both sides are interested in it. Many people on both sides of the track make their entire livelihood either believing or not believing.
     
  21. Light Registered Senior Member

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    No, not at all. I simply mean those ordinary people who haven't spent 20 (or more) years studying psychology as a profession.


    I suppose I should have asked that we disregard anyone who is paid the "believe" (or is paid to claim to believe). We should exclude all those who make money via seminars, selling books, etc. I'm simply talking about discussing everyday, ordinary people who accept what might be termed outlandish claims. NOT people with vested interests.
     
  22. Anomalous Banned Banned

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    They are naive but they have instincts that prevent them from admiting this and instincts that tell them to defend what they say, they are mostly unwaware of why they are doing what they do. Unlike U they cant say "I dont know".
     
  23. Huwy Secular Humanist Registered Senior Member

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    I think people sometimes have an emotional motive or agenda to believe bullshit, - an emotional incentive, which is caused by their emotional needs - a way of coping.

    to believe in something, like a "god that loves" them for example, when its quite obviously that innocent children are dying all over the world.
    People like happeh draw ridiculous conclusions and make sweeping generalisations based on no evidence whatsoever - just feelings - but i believe this may be a product of an emotional need to believe them, say believing that "masturbation damages health" as a way of coping with impotence/guilt/jealousy, or something like that.
     

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