I think a heuristic something like this is often involved: “If someone claims a high benefit (at any probability) for some costly implausible course of action, there’s a good chance they’re (a) consciously trying to exploit me, (b) infected by a parasitic meme, or (c) getting off on the delusion that they have a valuable Cause. In any of those cases, they’ll probably have plenty of persuasive invalid arguments; if I try to analyze these, I may be convinced in spite of myself, so I’d better find whatever justification I can to stop thinking.”
I think a heuristic something like this is often involved: “If someone claims a high benefit (at any probability) for some costly implausible course of action, there’s a good chance they’re (a) consciously trying to exploit me, (b) infected by a parasitic meme, or (c) getting off on the delusion that they have a valuable Cause. In any of those cases, they’ll probably have plenty of persuasive invalid arguments; if I try to analyze these, I may be convinced in spite of myself, so I’d better find whatever justification I can to stop thinking.”
vroman: See The Least Convenient Possible World.
Carl: Islam and Christianity may not balance, but what about Christianity and anti-Christianity?