Explaining belief in the absurd

[HoreTore]

any reason why you would call the former absurd and the latter not? or is that for us to disect? just wondering.

aparantly being absurd is being grossly unreasonable. if you take being unreasonable to mean being irrational and being irrational to mean that people who act in a way that is inconsistent (for example doing something counter- or unproductive) with their other views or goals believing or doing something absurd would be the following: have the goal to get to play A in the fastest way possible and then knowingly take the longest route to place A. Or since doing something absurd is grossly unreasonable thus grossly irrational it would be a more extreme example such as believing that killing people is bad and worship Stalin as your personal hero.

To take "absurd" first: I'm using "absurd" to describe something that is both impossible and culturally/socially inappropriate(which is basically the psychiatric use of the term, which is what I'm using). Ie., it must describe something that simply cannot be the truth, and it can't be a common opinion either. Like September Clues, for example. It's just no way there were no planes on 9/11, that's clearly impossible. It's also clearly socially inappropriate.

As for my separation, yeah, that's open for debate too. I think there's a big difference between the two though, the first list seems much crazier than the second list. Therefore I think they can be explained differently. Still, I'm interested in arguments against that and explanations for the second list too, of course. To continue with the 9/11 example, it's relatively common to believe that some poweful elite group controls a lot of things behind the scenes. Exactly what group that is varies wildly, of course. So, stating that group X were the real perpetrators on 9/11 really isn't that shocking to relatively many. But yeah, it's still pretty damn whacko.

[The Stranger]

How about telling your kids about santa claus? its both impossible and lying which is socially inappropriate. :P

does the absurd has to be both impossible and culturally/socially inappropriate or can it be either impossible or culturally/socially inappropriate or both? If it is the former I dont really see why it has to, for me belief in the clearly impossible (according to ones own views) is already rather absurd.

yet at the same time, often people regard something as absurd even if its not impossible but only culturally/socially inappropriate. (such as the belief hitler was a good man for example)

[naut]

That anything exists at all. It'd be plenty easier for there to be nothing.

Example: most all of us, I am sure, believe in the existence of the outer planets but very few of us have looked into a telescope and seen them. We merely take others at their word as proof of their being.

You're not taking into account pictures and video (i.e. evidence). Watch Hubble 3D. Mind-blowing stuff.

[HoreTore]

How about telling your kids about santa claus? its both impossible and lying which is socially inappropriate. :P

does the absurd has to be both impossible and culturally/socially inappropriate or can it be either impossible or culturally/socially inappropriate or both? If it is the former I dont really see why it has to, for me belief in the clearly impossible (according to ones own views) is already rather absurd.

yet at the same time, often people regard something as absurd even if its not impossible but only culturally/socially inappropriate. (such as the belief hitler was a good man for example)

That's a different subject than what I made this thread for.

I think that's interesting as well though, so if you want to discuss it further, I can create another thread for it.

[The Stranger]

allright, i thought your question was twofold, but you only want us to come up with beliefs people actually have that would be absurd according to the definition you gave?

im interested in the other subject, i will probably write my thesis about belief in general and i hadnt actually thought about belief in the absurd that much which is actually quite interesting so im happy you brought it up :P

[gaelic cowboy]

Something makes me suspect that were just hardwired to prefer anecdotal evidence from an evolutionary perspective.

If we decide to not eat mushrooms because we felt sick this will probably will not remove us from the genepool, but if we continue to eat the mushrooms of differant kinds this could kill us.

Essentially making a sweeping general choice safeguards us and allows us pass on our genes, nowadays were likely not a risk from eating a forest mushroom but our brains still make those same choices.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Something makes me suspect that were just hardwired to prefer anecdotal evidence from an evolutionary perspective.

If we decide to not eat mushrooms because we felt sick this will probably will not remove us from the genepool, but if we continue to eat the mushrooms of differant kinds this could kill us.

Essentially making a sweeping general choice safeguards us and allows us pass on our genes, nowadays were likely not a risk from eating a forest mushroom but our brains still make those same choices.

Where does preference on anecdotal evidence factor into humanities natural tendency to imagine and create? Anecdotal evidence usually relies on something having an effect on you, not the other way around. It's logic and critical thinking that has someone shaping a handle for a tool to create more torque.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Where does preference on anecdotal evidence factor into humanities natural tendency to imagine and create? Anecdotal evidence usually relies on something having an effect on you, not the other way around. It's logic and critical thinking that has someone shaping a handle for a tool to create more torque.

Actually, it's isn't logic and critically thinking - logic and critical thinking is how you develop an idea, not how you come up with one.


Anecdotal observation is how you conclude that logs rolls better than sleds, so putting logs under your sleds would be a good idea.