Good article, but there’s a huge difference between realizing that one’s fireplace is dangerous and realizing that one’s entire belief system is completely wrong. The crushing feeling of emotional loss that often comes with the latter isn’t easy to replicate, and losing an “everyday” cached belief can’t even compare. Nonetheless, having a cached belief broken is still good mental exercise.
(My personal reaction to updating about fireplaces: It didn’t occur to me until now that fireplaces were dangerous, and at one of my former places of residence there was a pretty active wood-burning fireplace. After reading the article (and spending a few minutes fact-checking Harris’s claims), I just thought “Huh, didn’t know that. I’ll avoid them from now on” and then went back to thinking about other stuff.)
(My personal reaction to updating about fireplaces: It didn’t occur to me until now that fireplaces were dangerous… After reading the article (and spending a few minutes fact-checking Harris’s claims), I just thought “Huh, didn’t know that. I’ll avoid them from now on” and then went back to thinking about other stuff.)
My apostasy was nothing like that, there was a large sense of confusion, and the discomfort of holding conflicting beliefs while things resolved themselves but not loss.
there’s a huge difference between realizing that one’s fireplace is dangerous and realizing that one’s entire belief system is completely wrong
Good point! I equated the two because that is what my experience was like. That is, my apostasy was more akin to a Fireplace Delusion than to an overhauling of my map.
Good article, but there’s a huge difference between realizing that one’s fireplace is dangerous and realizing that one’s entire belief system is completely wrong. The crushing feeling of emotional loss that often comes with the latter isn’t easy to replicate, and losing an “everyday” cached belief can’t even compare. Nonetheless, having a cached belief broken is still good mental exercise.
(My personal reaction to updating about fireplaces: It didn’t occur to me until now that fireplaces were dangerous, and at one of my former places of residence there was a pretty active wood-burning fireplace. After reading the article (and spending a few minutes fact-checking Harris’s claims), I just thought “Huh, didn’t know that. I’ll avoid them from now on” and then went back to thinking about other stuff.)
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Same here. I just updated and moved on.
While I was reading it, I found myself thinking
“Come on, give me some citations! Just show me some trustworthy studies so I can show my rationalist virtue by gracefully accepting it!”
I’m not sure this was quite the right way to respond.
You mean, like the review article he linked to, and which can be found free online?
Yes, but in-text citations so I wouldn’t have to reach the bottom before I knew if there was going to be a payoff would have helped.
My apostasy was nothing like that, there was a large sense of confusion, and the discomfort of holding conflicting beliefs while things resolved themselves but not loss.
From conversations with less rational people, I get the feeling that having a sense of discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs is in itself rare.
Good point! I equated the two because that is what my experience was like. That is, my apostasy was more akin to a Fireplace Delusion than to an overhauling of my map.