[lit-ideas] Re: True believers

  • From: Ursula Stange <Ursula@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 22:26:56 -0400

What a prescient subject line, Mike. I've been thinking for the last two days that there might be something salvageable out of this predictable back and forth. How could we all, intelligent people that we are, continually interpret all events to match our world view? I marvel at Lawrence's ability to look at the same news stories I look at and find in them, support for his world view. Perhaps he is equally in awe of my ability to do that. It seems somehow akin to religious faith, which no facts can budge. How did it get this way? What furnace are our world views created in that they are made of such tough stuff? What would it take to make us change? Could we change?

I've wrestled with this for some years now. I see in myself how quickly I accept things which support my world view and reject things which don't. This in spite of my best efforts at times to see value or instruction or warning in things which I am tempted to reject. But reject, I always do. There is so much to say here. It does indeed, seem like religious faith....and hence, non-falsifiable...Whatever Lawrence throws my way, I have an answer for. Perhaps he would admit the same...

So, I've been trying to remember the name of the philosopher who developed the parable of the True Believer. And just this morning, I found him. Basil Mitchell. He's about two-thirds of the way down the following page, but the lead-up is also worth reading...Enjoy...

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/flew.html

Ursula


Mike Geary wrote:

God love you all and keep those messages coming.
Ritchie's a lot more patient than I am and more discerning about minute variations of theme -- the true sign of an artist. I want action. I want conversions. Most here on this list aren't artists, they're like me -- evangelists. We want to convert the world to the truth as we certainly know it. I


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