Belief: Are We Just Fooling Ourselves?

The belief in free will naturally raises questions about the nature of belief in general.

Choose an example

It will help to have an example of belief as we consider the nature of belief. What better than a personal belief you hold to be true. Got one? Okay, now keep it in mind as we go along...
We, like all sentient animals, make observations continually throughout life. We notice the warmth of the sun, thunder and lightning, sudden movement in tall grass, and the darkness of night to name a few. How do such raw observations differ from belief? While a horse would notice most of the phenomenon listed above, it does not believe, for example, that the 'sun warms'. We do.

Language allows us to categorize what we observe, store it in memory, and recall it when needed. Need serves a pivotal role in belief. The process of belief begins with the acquisition of language. The social need to communicate is a primary, if not the leading, motivation behind a baby's desire to learn language. Through language a baby also fulfills various physical needs relating to food, fear, fun and such. Thus a baby acquires an emotional stake in the constancy of word meaning. Each word a baby learns becomes a 'solid brick' for building all its subsequent beliefs. To serves this purpose, word meaning must be rather immutable. For example, when we know "water" is that liquid thing we notice via the senses, it become rooted in our sub-conscious experience. We believe "water" is water. But is it really?

Our world view is established gradually during childhood as we adopt our culture's paradigm, with language as its base. The particulars of belief or perspective may change, e.g., we can hold liberal views in our youth and replace them with more conservative ones as we age. However, we always know and believe that "water" is water.

Let's consider higher level beliefs – those which are subject to outside influences, time and change. We might believe in God as a child, but drop the belief as an adult, or visa versa. Either way, need/pleasure is the motivating force. If believing in God makes you feel better you will continue to believe in God. If a liberal point of view stops making you feel good, you will be open to other points of view, and will likely adopt one that makes you feel better. The need to feel good or better arises out of innate biology. It is what causes us, and horses, to seek shade when it is hot. For humans, need also drives how firmly we hold on to a belief. If a belief fulfills a need we will hold on to that belief.

Finally, belief has nothing to do with whether it's true or not. Indeed, what is truth? Do your beliefs not determine what you hold to be true? Belief equals truth. If you believe that 'clear liquid' is water, then it is true for you that 'water' is 'water'. Your belief in the truth of words forms the foundation for all subsequent higher level belief systems. Not so for the horse – true and false mean nothing to him or to the rest of nature. There is no 'water', just a sensory observation/experience of what we call 'water'.

Why belief may become irresistible

All animals have a innate sense of cause and effect in that when they observe/experience pain, danger or difficulty, for example, they react by either eliminating the cause or fleeing. We react similarly to such tangible stimuli. However, we part company with the other animals in our beliefs in gods, spirits and other intangible 'causative' forces outside the perceptual range.

Our large brain and its conceptual framework naturally elaborates on the innate sense of cause and effect which we share with other species. Not only do we observe and react to stimuli, we think about it. When causes are not obvious we speculate and eventually imagine a plausible scenario that resolves the issue. For example, once we knew that Apollo carted the sun across the sky. Now, we know that the cause is earth's rotation. The facts - Apollo or earth's rotation - are less significant than the secure sense of knowing which we experience when we think we have the answer.

Our visceral feelings and needs evoke thoughts which give our emotional life an intellectual shape. These thoughts are the corollary – the reflection – of those feelings and need. Then the feedback process between the mind and emotions begins. The ensuing beliefs about what is and is not paints us into a perceptual corner. The more narrow the focus the less perceptual room we have to maneuver. This gives us a sense of emotional and mental stability and security. Of course, on the other hand it can become a dead end preventing us from considering another way out of the predicament, whatever it might be at the time.

Now back to your personal belief

Try to consider the personal belief you selected above vis-a-vis the need it satisfies in you. How would you feel if it was disproved? A sense of loss perhaps. Try to entertain an idea which contradicts that belief. It is nearly impossible to do because belief, especially deeply held ones, satisfies a need. If nothing else, a belief puts closure on all that lies beyond what we know – the timeless void of the unknown and perhaps unknowable. Belief is a final resting place for thought.

The psychological and emotional dependance you have on what you believe to be true, biases you to that perspective. The greater the dependence, the less you will be able to conceive of alternate models. Indeed, your mind tends to filter out what goes against your bias and only lets through what supports it. Belief conveys a strong sense of emotional security by giving you a stable world-view. Belief and the visceral need for emotional security form a closed loop, each supports the other.

The unintended consequences of belief

As we saw above, the first step in the belief process is categorizing experiences. Words are the foundation of this categorizing process. Placing things experienced into words makes language possible and allows us to think it over . . . and over and over. By pigeon holing experience, language permits us to manage it. A definite survival advantage we have over non-thinking (language-using) species. But this comes at a price.

Belief works like the blinders they put on a horse to keep it from spooking. Belief makes reality less spooky for us, which affords us a degree of emotional and psychological comfort. However, believing that things are a certain way has the unintended consequence of preventing us from seeing them as they might really be.

Of course, our brain, language and thought is what makes us human. While not a problem, per se, too much of a good thing can become problematic: beliefs hamper us from seeing any more of the whole which lies outside our particular belief. For example, either believing that God exists, or does not exist, will hinder considering the opposite fairly or any other alternative possibility. If this seems plausible, we might wonder how to liberate ourselves from some of the shackles of thought and belief.

The more emotionally addicted to a particular belief, the less able we are to consider anything else. Of course, we easily recognize such obsessive blind-spots in those whose beliefs are false. Remarkably, we are unable to see how this parallels our own true beliefs. Why? Emotional dependance is profoundly blind. Dependance has this same effect, whether it is an addiction to alcohol, love, food, drugs or beliefs. Indeed, beliefs may be the strongest of all addictions.

When I began reading your thesis my first choice for a belief is simply that the universe “exists”. And by “exists” I simply mean that it is perceivable, consistent in it’s properties, and capable of knowing itself to some degree. I would argue that our very contemplation of this matter would be impossible if these things were not true.

You mention the difference between the words we use to refer to our perceptions and the perceptions themselves. I concur with Richard Feyman on this matter.

“You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing -- that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.” – Richard Feynman

I have always recognized that words are nothing more than a mean of communication. A feeble means at that. We use sound to try to communicate to each other the concepts within our minds, and the experiences that we have perceived, but we all know that words can fail miserably. On the other hand, they can be very useful as well. When you go a familiar restaurant and your verbally order your meal, that probability is very high that you will soon experience the things that you had meant to convey by your words. So while the words themselves are not the experiences, they do serve to communicate the ideas to some degree. And after you are finished with your meal you may use a word like ‘delicious’ to describe it whilst someone else having experienced the very same meal may choose a work such as “yucky”. So even though we all understand words to some degree they do not always refer to the same experience.

How would you feel if it (your belief) was disproved? A sense of loss perhaps.

As I read further into your thesis I expounded on my belief to include the concept that everything is ultimately connected and that all is one. This belief may seem to some to be a bit more esoteric than my original, more simplistic belief, that the universe merely exists, but for me it is a core belief that holds no less ambiguity then my original assertion.

How would I feel if this belief was disproved? At the moment I can’t even begin to imagine such a proof, however, if such a proof was found and I could comprehend it as being sensible, then I would be elated to have learned a new perspective. I would not feel a sense of loss because I’m am fully aware that reality is not dependent on my beliefs. Whatever is, is. And I’m always open to that.



I can’t even imagine a reasonable idea that would contradict my belief. Others have suggested alternative views. For example, there is a very popular belief that everything is separate and was created by an unseen God and that this God has a plan for every individual thing that he created. I find this view to be both difficult to comprehend, as well as completely unsupported by any credible evidence. Moreover, this outrageous assertion doesn’t stop there but continues on to proclaim the existence of various forms of eternity that no one has ever experienced, and it claims that these eternities themselves will only become realities for individual based on their ‘beliefs’.

In short, the whole picture simply has no evidence or support to be compelling. To believe in such a thing would indeed require a ‘leap of faith’. And so my question is why should I make such a ‘leap of faith’? If there is no compelling reason to believe that flying pink elephants give birth to unicorns in mid-air after having mated with albino dust bunnies then why should I believe such a thing?



I think this is only true of people who close their minds around a single idea and refuse to consider anything else. I have no ‘beliefs’, all I have is ‘understandings’ and ‘experience’. I’m more than willing to change my understandings should I find compelling reasons to do so. But to start believing in flying pink elephants for no other reason than because some ancient stories claimed they exist, or because the vast majority of people have decided to entertain the notion, is not a behavior that anyone is likely to perceive in me anytime soon.

How are ya Abra?

I wish I could take credit for this 'thesis', however, it is not my thought as transcribed through my pen...

I found it to be a tool in which the intent was to afford another the means to understand the implications behind belief.

An introduction to open-mindedness as it were?

What do you think about the validity of the notions as presented?

And here I thought I was reading you original thought.



I think the author is clinging tightly to his beliefs on the topic.

I didn't want to say that when I thought you had written it.

I must confess to be a bit disapointed that these weren't your original thoughts. I would not have bothered to repsond in the detail I did, had I known it was cut-and-paste.

Ugh... Abra!

My friend, these words did in fact, enable a different persective for me. The value was in that. I had only hoped to get others' opinions on the thoughts... to gain even more perspective...

The value of my intent should not be weighed by the author, should it?

Creative,

This is an amazing essay, touches on matters of import to me, and raises questions I wish more people would ask of themselves - for these reasons, i am glad that you posted it here.

I share Abra's disappointment though - I think that if we post something in the forums not of our writing, we should give credit to the author, or at least say up front that it is not ours. There are those among us that are not only interested in ideas, but also in relationships - these are forums for learning about other people, so yes, the authorship of these posts does play a role in some people motivations for reading.

A few random thoughts:



Anyone who finds the truth must first ask this very question. We must see that up to this point in our lives, it has been all about us and how we "feel."

Then, in order to ever really find the truth, we must confront this reality and reject it. We must accept the truth even if it goes against everything we believe and everything we desire--even if it requires sacrifice from us. Only then can we really find the truth.

But, here is the beautiful side to it. If you do face & accept the truth and live by it, then you will understand the truth. You won't have billions of conflicting ideas and myths and theories that out of courtesy you feel that you must acknowledge have equal value.

As Jesus said:

Prove me herewith
you will know the truth
The Spirit will lead you into all truth

As Paul said:
The mind that is spiritual discerns all things

As the Pslamist states: We must obey that truth that we find in order to understand more.

A good understanding have all they that do His commandments

All my point this far is saying is that it is not impossible to know the truth. We can do it if we don't follow the way that everyone does without thinking.

As a friend once quoted someone else saying. During a life time, many of us come in contact with the truth. We stumble over it. Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and we go on as if nothing happened.

The reason? We don't want anything to change our life or take away what we believe is our control over it. We want to determine what is right and wrong. We want it to be our decision, thus we all tend to seek a belief system that fits within the parameters of what we personally need or want at the time.

Little Sally just knows that God spirit is moving her to see that Bobby should marry her. Bobby is just certain God's spirit wants him to buy that red sports car. We just make God's will to be our will.



This is what occurs in everyone's life to some degree. We find that some of the beliefs we had were false. But, again, once we see that, and admit it, and then accept what is true, then we can come to see more and more until we have a pretty clear picture of life and the truth regarding what God is doing with us.



But, we can know, what we can know. God designed life so that we can't figure it all out.

Pro 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

He has designed it so that we must come to the point where by what we learn in life we will come to the spot where we see that His way is really best, and we obey Him. By this, I mean we will do what we know is right. We will do what we know to be right if we get what we want or not.



Yes! You are so right in so many cases, but it should be the end of thought. It should be just the beginning. True belief is based on what we can prove I Thess 5:21.

Yes, park your brain here because what you are finding may disrupt your life. This is true in vast numbers of cases. And, it must be understood that it is true for atheist and born again alike.

Further, there is an opposite view presented in Allen's Bloom's award winning book, the Closing of the American Mind. His awesome description of the change going on in America's institutions of higher learning is a must read. Further, I am convinced that his conclusion must be thought through carefully in order to really understand his point.

Many different religions in America are now being accepting as legitimate. For example, in India, some drink cow urine and put dung on their head. There are cults who cut themselves and bleed all over one another. There are voodoo practices, and the lesser form of it in witchcraft today. In that context Bloom writes that by opening the mind to the point where we value all religions, beliefs and cultures as being equal in value to the our Judaic-Christian ethic, we automatically close our mind to ever finding the actual truth.

Some beliefs are superior to others. This absolutely needs to be understood before any one starts thinking about their beliefs. They are not all the same, don't all have the same values, and they are not all legitimate.



But, this is true for everyone, every belief, and every soft addiction. The atheist is just as secure by the belief he choses. Further, he reads books, listens to tapes, and surrounds himself with others who lend emotional support to what he already believes. This is human. We all do it. But, if we really want to know the truth, then we must be willing to not defend things because of how we feel, but we must seek the truth.



This can be true, but it must be understood that it is not ever the case when we base our belief on provable truth. Belief in the laws of physics is what enabled us to fly to the moon, walk on it, and return. Belief gives us courage when it is based on what we have proven to be true. Then it is a light to enable us to go forward. We know the path to take and the way to live. But it must belief in that which is proven, not that which is just felt in our heart of hearts or that which we chose out of expedience.



Again, there are cases in which this can be true, but for others it can be an enormous deception. If we have deceived ourselves, we need to think about this. However if we have proven the truth, then to open our minds to more of other people's ideas? It is a waste of time and it is polluting the mind.

The wicked men lured Pinocchio into their trap by lies. The devil wanted Eve to see it other that the way--not how it really was. In other words, he wants people to think like he got Eve to think. To be suspicious of God. Can you really trust God? Is it the way He says? Or is He keeping something from us? Have we been misled by Him?

For those who can see it, God's command not to eat of the other tree was keeping the hellish way of life we now live, which is filled with war, famine, family disintegration, suffering and disease--from ever having to be. By us not believing Him, we have suffered almost 6,000 years now. The reason? We thought we would do it our way. Our way is best. We can choose for ourselves.

You understand my point in this post. There is a way that life really is. There is a way that works and one that does not. Hard work pays off, and laziness doesn't. There are rules. There are consequences for actions, and when we learn what works and what does not work, then we are an a profound advantage. We can succeed in the end,

However, when we create our own belief system that is one chosen and designed by ourselves, well, it gives us the freedom to do what ever we want. That is heady, and it feels good, but we suffer the terrible kick backs that sin and going against the law of God automatically returns us.



Are you really suggesting here that the atheists reject the shackles of their thought and belief? Again, you speak as if there is no truth. If there is none, then we can just open ourselves and fill our minds with any and every kind of nonsense, filth, and vile thoughts. But, why do such a stupid thing? Why subject ourselves to trash, to false teaching, an endless trail of thought that leads to nowhere? Instead go with the urine and dung.

Are you sure there is not some kind of personal motive on your part here?

Look, just think for a moment. Think independently of your chosen belief. This is an amazing truth. Go ahead and let yourself consider it as a possibility. The truth I speak of is this:

All roads do not lead to the same place. There is not one person that would believe that this could happen in my city or yours. The right road leads to the right place. Any map will tell you this amazing truth.

A ship without a rudder can not end up in the port because the the crew wishes it to end up there. They won't be there because they just believed that they would. They can't positive think the ship in to the port they want. They can't justify themselves enough to be in the port that they are really not in.

Such a thought is really stupid. No parent would tell his child that they should open their mind to every concept his friends have at school. No, they lay down the law. No drugs, no girls overnight. You know, the rules that help them not make a horrible mistake, not rules that imprison them in a cell of parental laws.

There is always a place where we must anchor. We must anchor on what we have proved to be true.



Sometimes that is tragic. But, I ask you to think. Other times it is salvation. The only way to know when to do this, is to follow the path to the truth. I don't believe for a minute that the author has no prejudice here. I am convinced by this statement that he is doing exactly what he is accusing others of doing. He wants you to think like he does.




Are you taking this personally, yourself, or just teaching it to others? We all have addictive personalities. We are prone to it. In fact, God says that at the end, our time, we would all be drunk on the fornication (spiritual adulrty) of the whore, mystery Babylon. That is where most people's beliefs have their origin.

But, I say this: Why not dump here, and become addicted to the truth? Find it. Question everything. Figure it out. Look at both sides if you want. Is there a God? Is the Bible true? Is obedience to God the best decision we could make, or do we want to worship a god of our own understanding? Which is really best for us?

Don't however, open your mind and fill it with the empty ideas of men. As King David said, not me:

Psa 14:1 A Psalm of David.> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Of course they don't want a real God to exist. It cramps their style. Of course God exists. The creation is winding down. All energy flows from a high point to a low point. Eventually the entire universe will flat line. Something somewhere started this up. The creation demands a Creator. The laws we live with whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, are immutable. You cannot break them without them breaking you. That means this: There is a law giver. Life is designed. There is enormous design in every flower, and the eye of a human being, and in the beauty of a man with a woman. magnificent design requires that there must be a magnificent designer. Life only comes from other life. Given the right circumstance and right elements, life does not spontaneously generate. Instead, when your grandmother or grandfather died in their bed, all the elements and conditions for life were there. Entropy is at work, the person dies, they don't spontaneously burst into more life. Then there is fulfilled prophecy and answered prayer.

Don't you see that there are things we have always believed that we should not throw out. We should throw out the garbage, but don't toss the baby out with the bathwater. Start with God exists and go from there.

Art

Yes, massage... I do understand this notion you and Abra have presented... My intentions were indeed good... I shall not make habit of this, as a result of my new and improved understanding(s)...

for you both...

The author is a Taoist thinker... which resonates well within me...

Thoughts, that resonate well within, are temporal, as one grows and experiences more, as they become the inner calm, thought is like a wisp of smoke.

What was believed with devout resilience becomes as ethereal as the cosmos.

(But then what would I know? )

Oh Art, I truly appreciate the time you have taken here... and I read each counterpoint... much of what you say, I actually agree with the notions and concepts... just not all, my friend...

Do you really suspect that I do not believe in creation?

I look around at the evidence of creation each and every day, and I know that it must have a creator who is not an ego in the sky... as proven to me throughout my walk which has indeed taken me to an ethical and moral place of loving peace which lies within, in spite of what I had learned which did not.