once having accepted a belief, you make everything fit it.?

Question

Someone recently quoted this on the radio, can't remember who. Is it from philosophy, psychology or other studies and who said it? Seems worth remembering and being aware of its implications and the potential limits to the individual.

Answer 1

Yes I agree with that - which is why I don't believe anything. I think people are lazy thinkers and don't want to have to deal with reality. Which is why belief in religion has been compared to a drug, an escape from having to work your brain.

When confronted with a difficult question in life, or an unknown, these people just refer back to what their pet belief dictates - and that is supposed to solve something.

Robert Anton Wilson explained it very well:
'
.... belief is the death of intelligence. As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence. The more certitude one assumes, the less there is left to think about, and a person sure of everything would never have any need to think about anything and might be considered clinically dead under current medical standards, where absence of brain activity is taken to mean that life has ended....

Belief in the traditional sense, or certitude, or dogma, amounts to the grandiose delusion, "My current model" -- or grid, or map, or reality-tunnel -- "contains the whole universe and will never need to be revised." In terms of the history of science and knowledge in general, this appears absurd and arrogant to me, and I am perpetually astonished that so many people still manage to live with such a medieval attitude.'

All the best!

Answer 2

A person shouldn't arrive at a belief until all the puzzle pieces come together and form a complete picture. If all the pieces fit there's a chance the belief is a solid one. If they don't - as with a real puzzle - there really isn't any making them fit. I suppose there are ways to alter puzzle pieces to make them fit, but the picture won't be what it was supposed to be.

A reasonable person will hold off accepting a belief until all the pieces fit - not willy-nilly believe something and try to make it all fit.

Answer 3

I relate it to Frogs. Yes, frogs. They only see what they relate to - the water, lily pads, bugs flying, other frogs. They can't see the big truck or anything else that doesn't pertain to their world. Sound familiar?
But, seriously. It seem people want to be secure. Most people will deny the truth staring them in the face, if it means they have to have a change of mind. Whew! Too scary. That cold sweat of change crawling up your back will make most cling to that comfortable 'belief' and make everything wrong that doesn't fit in.

Answer 4

Well, as profound as that statement may sound, I don't that it even warrants your consideration. You see, making "things" fit your new found belief systems simply cause you to close off your brain to new ideas. And, there is something to be said for the detrimental effects of "beliefs" anyway! All you have to do is look at religion and the wars and bloodshed that it has created, to see how humankind conforming the world around them to their beliefs does nothing but bring harm.