Passacaglia
New member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2014
- Messages
- 645
So I've written an essay mostly to edify myself by doing research, but others may find it worth a read:
Full essay here. (Google docs link, no download, 5 pages.)
Why believe in the supernatural? For many of us, it's a baffling question. I myself am naturally inclined toward doubt, and was raised to think independently, so I find the motives for belief to be utterly foreign.
It's easy to answer with "Because people are emotional and irrational," or some similarly dismissive simplification. I know I've done this plenty of times in my lifetime! But this answer isn't terribly helpful.
While true, such a simple answer is also shallow. It doesn't shed light on the many reasons which motivate people to believe -- it alienates believers as well as possible skeptics, and it handicaps me on a personal level when talking to these individuals.
It's easy and cathartic to point out the inconsistencies, contradictions, and improbabilities in the supernatural, but ultimately pointless. It comes off as me being a dick to onlookers who might otherwise acknowledge reason, and it doesn't actually change anyone's beliefs. Arguing with a believer is like boxing with an inflatable punching clown; no matter how many times the believer gets knocked down, he pops right back up. Because of the very nature of human psychology, no amount of logic can keep the believer's beliefs down; only he can allow them to deflate.
So in an effort to understand belief and to become better at talking to believers, I'm going to go over what I've learned:
Full essay here. (Google docs link, no download, 5 pages.)