Is belief a choice?
Submitted by Christopher_Hawkins on Fri, 12/18/2009 - 20:18
I don’t think so. You can select your sources of information / wisdom and this willl influence your beliefs, but the actual "What do I believe?" seems beyond choice.
If I’m right, what are the implications? Other comments?
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choice
If belief is not a choice how then are we able to change our minds on somethings?
Our minds believe we chose, but are mistaken.
Much of the the latest research on our brain/mind/conscious indicates our minds believe we have made a choice, but our subconscious makes the decision prior to the conscious mind perceiving it did. I don’t know the extent of this phenomena, but it is quite clear that it is real.
Scientists crack me up. I
Scientists crack me up. I believe the process they are describing is called “instinct” ;)
Just kidding, sorta. I have some thoughts on this when I get another moment.
Instinct
And what is the basis of instinct? Metaphysical? Hardwired in the womb? Learned? Some combination thereof? Not trivial questions. :-)
Certainly not metaphysical.
Certainly not metaphysical. Learned in a distant sense, but not easily applied to people except by leftovers from other species perhaps; and distant evolution, don’t want to bring up the reptilian brain??. Hardwired? well, yes, and tied to learned in a distant sense. (please see above.) Metaphysical has to come much later in a very recent understanding of historical perspective that is only based on collective conciousness and the power of the mind to integrate intensively, on an individual level, what humanity has learned. ‘There actually might exist collective memory. But….well all of this crap is way too controversial for a punk like me to try to be a spokesman for these thoughts.