I want to give an example of a mind program, to show what I'm talking about. I'll describe an algorithm of how most people deal with new information.
Let's say some guy comes across some new information. What does he do with it?
If the source of this information has a status of authority to him, then he accepts this information as truth. (Many people believe in everything the TV says.)
If the source doesn't have this status, then if this information is compatible with his belief system, he accepts it as true. If not, he rejects it. (A UFO enthusiast will believe in every ridiculous story about UFO abductions. A skeptic will reject every evidence and he'll believe we're alone in the Universe. None of them will engage in a deeper thought process, because they are just executing this program.)
Of course, not everybody behaves according to this algorithm. Some people have different algorithms to deal with new information.
I won't go deeper into this right now, because I'm going to do a detailed analysis of the main programs of our society later on this blog. I just want to show, that this really is a simple program (like a computer program), and not just some psychological babble:
if(source == authority) information = true;
else if(information.compatible.beliefsystem) information = true;
else information = false;
It's more like pseudocode, but it shows the actual algorithm.
Of course "information.compatible.beliefsystem" must be a specific, defined function. In a human mind, it is done automatically. People just feel "right", when the information supports their belief system, and feel irritated when it doesn't.
No comments:
Post a Comment