Why People Believe Weird Things, Redux
Michael Shermer wrote a book called Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time, which I own and have read several times. I always find it fascinating, but recently I’ve been thinking about Shermer’s main point: why, in fact, people do believe weird things.
Shermer’s point can be summed up with a few quotes:
More than any other reason, the reason people believe weird things is because they want to. It feels good. It is comforting.
Immediate gratification. Many weird things offer immediate gratification.
And finally, Shermer lists the last reasons as: simplicity, morality and meaning, and “hope springs eternal.”
I disagree.
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