Part 1 in an Ongoing Series
By Reluctant Junkie – April 12, 2009
Toxic assets. The term is so familiar it is somewhat jarring
to realize that we first heard it only a few months ago. And as you surely know
by now, it refers to the huge economic iceberg of overvalued securities that
virtually sank the world economy.
But that’s not where I’m going with this, except by analogy.
(And let me concede up front that the analogy isn’t perfect – but then
show me one that is.) What I want to do is to try to usefully extend the
concept to a universal phenomenon, the extremely overvalued, anachronistic
mental state called belief. I don’t mean mundane belief in natural things and
measurable forces that definitely exist and are supported by reliable evidence,
but belief in things unobserved, for which persuasive, verifiable evidence is
lacking. That kind of belief takes many forms: superstition, pseudoscience,
magic, the paranormal, faith healing, complementary and alternative medicine, conspiracy
theories, myths, urban legends and, of course, the two really big ones,
political ideology and religious faith. Our culture is awash in strongly-held
beliefs that cannot be supported by the kind and quality of evidence that would
persuade a rational, scientific, open-minded skeptic. (Open-minded skeptic? No,
that’s not an oxymoron. On the contrary, skepticism combined with being open to
new ideas is the very
essence of science. What is close-minded is strongly-held belief that
resists consideration of alternative explanations.)
For purposes of these essays, I’ll follow the lead of Sam
Harris and refer to any strongly-held belief that is not supported by
sufficient, high-quality evidence as an unjustified belief. Unjustified belief
sustains all manner of bigoted cultural practices: racism, sexism, ageism,
homophobia, and “atheophobia,” the latter referring to fear and hatred of
atheists (note how typically right-wing these practices are). Unjustified
belief is the lifeblood of largely worthless and often dangerous “complementary
and alternative medicine,” which is neither complementary nor alternative,
except in the minds of far too many people. Unjustified belief is what sustains
all ideologies, all dogmas. It is quintessentially human.
However natural and intuitive that kind of belief may be
– and there is evidence that it is the default
mode for both children and adults – I contend that it has become a
social, cultural, and political poison that our species can no longer afford.
Like those devalued toxic assets, belief may once have been a genuine asset
that contributed to human survival. But early humans were pretty clueless about
the nature of reality and lacked the knowledge and investigative methods to
figure out much for themselves. That was the childhood of our species; now we
live in a world teeming with WMDs and other threats where false beliefs that
divide cultures can be broadly lethal. So it is way past time to put aside
comforting myths and culture-aggrandizing ideologies and join the reality-based
community. Many reforms are needed to move in that direction, especially in
education, where instruction in evidence-based critical thinking (i.e.,
scientific thinking) needs to be an integral part of the curriculum, starting
as early as possible.
Research suggests that rational, skeptical, scientific
thinking does not come naturally and needs to be taught, practiced, and
reinforced. What a vast improvement it would be if most people had the training
and the humility to simply say “I don’t know,” or “this is presently
unexplained,” rather than resorting to false explanations based on
superstition, myth, pseudo-science, religious dogma, or ideology. Surely there
is nobility in utilizing the powerful methods and tools of science and
accepting and dealing with what is likely true based on good evidence and sound
reasoning. There is dignity in questioning, resisting social pressure, weighing
the evidence for various alternatives, and mostly in being willing to change
one’s position in response to – you guessed it – evidence. One more time: Evidence, the
sine qua non, the ultimate determinant of what is probably true. It was Thomas
Henry Huxley, “Darwin’s bulldog,” who spoke of “many a beautiful theory being
killed by an ugly fact.” Sad though it may be, that’s reality.
But that’s not where most of us are coming from in many
areas of our lives. Belief is still widely considered to be of great value. Its
risks and dangers are rarely discussed. Believers in all kinds of things are
widely, and inappropriately, admired. In fact, belief is valued so highly that
many skeptics keep quiet or seem to go along rather than risk offending true
believers. . . . It is the reason I write under a pseudonym.
That said, it is also the case that people are not
indiscriminate believers. Everyone seems to have their own set of beliefs and
are more or less intolerant of different belief systems that are at least as
rational as their own. I love the line, “We’re all atheists, I just take it one
god further than you do.” Of course in this society believers are much more
deeply suspicious of atheists than of rival believers. Outspoken condemnation
of atheists is just about the last form of socially acceptable bigotry, at
least among Republicans. Democrats are much more tolerant of diversity, which
is one reason I feel comfortable around them.
Have you ever noticed how easily offended true believers
are? Not just religious folks, but true believers of any ilk? It is almost as
if their passion and intensity is inversely proportional to the amount and
quality of their supporting evidence. While I’m on that rant, I’ll also call
attention to the arrogance of belief, which basically comes across like this:
“I know my belief is true, and you’re close-minded if you keep raising
questions and don’t just agree with me.” Of course arrogance tends to be
compounded by numbers, a prime example being the lunatic young-earth
creationists who deny and oppose established facts of science that conflict
with their ridiculous, provably false dogma. They even have their own Creation
Museum, a monument to ignorance and denial, if there ever was one.
So while I’ll defend everyone’s right to believe or not
believe whatever they choose, I must keep asking what is so great about
believing strongly in something – anything – without sufficient
evidence? Why are people who act like this so often held in high esteem? Isn’t
it better to look at the evidence in an impartial manner and ask if it
justifies certainty? Isn’t it good mental hygiene to question and challenge
one’s own beliefs? I guess I’m arguing that there really is no longer a
constructive place for belief, or faith, in things unproven. The risks it poses
are infrequently discussed outside
of skeptical circles and are greatly underestimated.
It was the great physicist Richard Feynman who
said, “Science is how we keep from fooling ourselves.” I worry that we may just
fool ourselves right into extinction.
Next time, following up on the ongoing topic of unjustified
belief, I will delve into the wacky world and politics of Supplements and Complementary and Alternative Medicine,
otherwise known as SCAM. It could turn out to be a lot of fun, except for all
the true believers I’ll be offending. But hey, let’s put the evidence, or lack
of it, out there and let the chips fall where they may. 