Abstract:Human minds are belief machines. Put raw data into the proper slot and out pops a belief, all polished and ready for action. We believe what we can and give up our beliefs reluctantly. Lest this seem ...Human minds are belief machines. Put raw data into the proper slot and out pops a belief, all polished and ready for action. We believe what we can and give up our beliefs reluctantly. Lest this seem hyperbole, let us observe the belief machine in its purest form – a 3-year-old child. Long before cute little kids can tell right from wrong, illusion from reality, truth from fiction, they believe everything is just what it seems to be – everything is on the level. Parents and, later, schools spend considerable time trying to convince the growing belief machine to modify its input–output routines. We teach children that some things are illusionary, that the truth of important things lies well beneath the surface of sensory experience, and that we should consider before we declare our beliefs.Read More
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-09-25
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 1
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