A while back I read an article on how smart people are better than not so smart people at convincing themselves of an irrational belief. It was found that smarter folks have better tools to rationalize their beliefs.
A friend of mine that I've know for over 30 years would be a good example of the smart person believing in weird things.
Very true. When an "expert" is wrong on something they are far more stubborn and unwilling to admit their error than a layman. My wife is an English major and we have gotten into knock-down drag-outs about grammar.
Sometimes we try to put together concepts that are simply unconnected, a process that leads to faulty thinking (and in extreme cases, obession and mental illness). Other times we sense that such connections must exist, but for whatever reason we fail to grasp what they actually are -- and thus when presented with a shortcut (for instance "God did it") we accept it into our thinking. Thus connection by connection, we construct a world view in which we have perfect confidence, for which we see proof everywhere, which for many people is perfectly workable, comforting, and satisfying.
Nicely put. I think that because different pseudosciences touch on different types of claims, I can't sum it up with interconnectedness. It's like there is a complete pseudoscientific toolkit to answer every possible different type of question or human need. Like Handwriting Analysis, Palmistry or Birth Sign Astrology might claim to describe ones' personality traits (and perhaps make recommendations about what other types of general people one might seek as a romantic or business partner), where Tarot or psychic readings might seek advice for a particular decision, and talismans, prayer or other superstitious activities are more of a general "good luck and ward off the evil eye" kind of thing. Judeo-Christian-Muslim doctrine, as I generally understand them, make other forms of superstition taboo - not necessarily because they are false, but because they threaten the primacy of the One True God in one's decision-making process (and presumably one's economic well being - if they are spending money on this other crap there will be less to give to the Church.) All this is to say that there's not just a single, unifying influence of Religion
per se, but more of a reliance on mysticism to seek all kinds of information and advice.
Then someone comes along and insists "God didn't do it," and suddenly all those connections, and the belief system upon which they rest, are called into question -- more that that, accepting this one seemingly simple fact instantly puts everything at risk of total collapse, forcing the person to give up cherished ideas and basically start all over, in a world they may well find bereft of all former comforts. It takes rare intellectual courage to do that sort of thing, and many simply are not up to it and probably never will be.
I tend to avoid challenging the overall naivety of the world view because it would be so draining on our friendship, but I do ask skeptical questions about the "discoveries" they make.
My parents (despite being nominally Christian) have impressed on me the idea of Karma, and I've been unable to shake it off.
Now this might sound kind of "woo" to some here, but I don't have this huge objection to this notion of Karma. Or course I think the way that it has been institutionalized in Hinduism is just silly, but I think there is some merit to the notion that our actions have influence on the whole universe in ways that may not be predictable. I'm also fond of the Hindu concept of Atman - the notion that "we all come from the exact same piece of stuff and are all still interconnected pieces of it." Actions which divide us from each other (like racism, exploitation of the poor, etc.) are in opposition to our interconectedness, and thus unnatural perversions which we need to try to eliminate. But I certainly claim no scientific primacy to that personal philosophy - it just fits in neatly with my own view of how the universe is constructed.
Some of the people who believe in weird things are, yes indeed, just plain stupid.
However, there are other sources and motives for these beliefs. Stupidity isn't always to blame. It may be part of the reason but not the entire reason. Or it may not be the reason at all.
Some people like the fun of woo. Yes, it is fun to believe in these things.
Some people are down on their luck.
Some are lonely or depressed and acting out of that.
Some have other personal problems that lead them to woo.
Some are greedy (multi level marketing, Nigerian scams, Feng Shui, etc.)
Some are held to these beliefs by the ties of friends and family (UFO hunters often form close bonds, churches and Bible study groups are often the source of close human bonds and the center of communities, Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot seekers are really using it as a reason to camp and boat with their fellow club members, conspiracy theorists often become close friends with one another, etc.)
Some people (like the parents of missing children who turn to police psychics) are desperate.
Some are just plain mentally ill.
Some are not exactly stupid but naive and gullible. As James Randi once said, you can be quite intelligent without being very smart.
Some believe in this because they were raised in an environment and household which put these ideas into their head at a young age and they've never been able to shake that kind of mentality.
And some, like your friends, just find it a nice and comforting thought that takes the major decisions in their lives out of their hands. And a glimpse into the future, something we would all like.
Maybe a sense of control. Another thing we would all like.
Great examples.
In a nutshell woo is fun. Sitting around a Quijah board and "contacting" some spirit gives a person the same feeling they get when they watch a Vampire movie. Tarot cards the same thing. Ghost hunting is fun. Going to old cemetaries and houses is scary on a controlled level. They don't want to see the coldlight of scientific reasoning. They enjoy what they are doing too much.
Absolutely. I would think there to be a significant difference between attempts to understand the real world (like Quija Boards) and pure escapist fiction like vampire and zombie movies, solely intended as entertainment, but I must be mistaken about the line there. For example my wife watches every ghosthunter show she can find (and believe me, there are plenty) but doesn't believe them for a second. I can't sit in the same room as her during these, as I find them so abysmally stupid, and, moreover, poisonous. But she just loves 'em because they are creepy and scary and fun. But to be honest I don't really like vampire movies either (though I won't refuse a good zombie movie.) It's when the fun is over, and its influence extends into what should be rational decisions in ones life that I am attributing to the notion that "God brought it to me, therefore it has value."
