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Can you give us some examples of provably false beliefs being taught to children?

by carsongross 10y ago

adrianN 10y ago
Santa brings presents to well behaved children on Christmas.
- nf05papsjfVbc 10y ago
  Heaven and Hell are just adult versions of this.
- grkvlt 10y ago
  I was brought up not to believe in Santa (and apparently got into trouble at school for upsetting other children by telling them he didn't exist) and find it amazing that other parents are happy to lie to their children like this - setting a precedent that adults are not to be trusted, thus undermining lots of potentially valuable true advice. On the other hand, my family also took me to church every week, so there's that...
  - carsongross 10y ago
    Surely, the phenomenological existence of Santa can be understood by HackerNews readers, no? Santa is a spirit and exists spiritually in as much as he has an effect on this world. And so we find he has, and, therefore, does. I don't expect most HackerNews readers to agree with that argument (I am of two minds on it) but I would hope it recommends to them a bit of intellectual humility.
    - grkvlt 10y ago
      Maybe, maybe, maybe ... in the loosest, most hand-wavingly vague, almost, kind of sense, yes, IF - you s/spirit/concept/ then yes, that could be said to be true. But one could use the same argument about God, surely? In that the concept has a measurable effect on the world through the actions of believers, therefore He exists.
      - carsongross 10y ago
        > But one could use the same argument about God, surely Don't think too hard about that one. You might end up a nietzschean catholic, like me on Tuesdays.
- JauntTrooper 10y ago
  It used to bug me, but now I actually like the phenomenon of Santa Claus. The entire adult population is conspiring to lie to children, and it's up to the child to challenge it based on their own logic and observations. It's a way to teach children to not trust authority blindly and to develop their own critical thinking skills. I never felt betrayed by my parents about it. I remember feeling proud that I figured it out, and when my mother told me that everyone did it as a way to honor the memory of the real Saint Nicolas, I understood that.
  - JauntTrooper 10y ago
    Now that I think about it, this was all pre-search engines. The truth is just a Google search away now. I wonder if the Santa myth will recede into history for my kid's generation.
  - carsongross 10y ago
    But Santa does exist: he is a spiritual being and his spirit works through all the parents who make Christmas happen. Quite literally, a magic fat man makes presents appear under the tree on Christmas, and it's a miracle.
grkvlt 10y ago
Santa Claus.
metaphorm 10y ago
I think OP was referring to young Earth creationism

Can you give us some examples of provably false beliefs being taught to children?

adrianN 10y ago

Santa brings presents to well behaved children on Christmas.

nf05papsjfVbc 10y ago
Heaven and Hell are just adult versions of this.
grkvlt 10y ago
I was brought up not to believe in Santa (and apparently got into trouble at school for upsetting other children by telling them he didn't exist) and find it amazing that other parents are happy to lie to their children like this - setting a precedent that adults are not to be trusted, thus undermining lots of potentially valuable true advice. On the other hand, my family also took me to church every week, so there's that...
- carsongross 10y ago
  Surely, the phenomenological existence of Santa can be understood by HackerNews readers, no? Santa is a spirit and exists spiritually in as much as he has an effect on this world. And so we find he has, and, therefore, does. I don't expect most HackerNews readers to agree with that argument (I am of two minds on it) but I would hope it recommends to them a bit of intellectual humility.
  - grkvlt 10y ago
    Maybe, maybe, maybe ... in the loosest, most hand-wavingly vague, almost, kind of sense, yes, IF - you s/spirit/concept/ then yes, that could be said to be true. But one could use the same argument about God, surely? In that the concept has a measurable effect on the world through the actions of believers, therefore He exists.
    - carsongross 10y ago
      > But one could use the same argument about God, surely Don't think too hard about that one. You might end up a nietzschean catholic, like me on Tuesdays.
JauntTrooper 10y ago
It used to bug me, but now I actually like the phenomenon of Santa Claus. The entire adult population is conspiring to lie to children, and it's up to the child to challenge it based on their own logic and observations. It's a way to teach children to not trust authority blindly and to develop their own critical thinking skills. I never felt betrayed by my parents about it. I remember feeling proud that I figured it out, and when my mother told me that everyone did it as a way to honor the memory of the real Saint Nicolas, I understood that.
- JauntTrooper 10y ago
  Now that I think about it, this was all pre-search engines. The truth is just a Google search away now. I wonder if the Santa myth will recede into history for my kid's generation.
- carsongross 10y ago
  But Santa does exist: he is a spiritual being and his spirit works through all the parents who make Christmas happen. Quite literally, a magic fat man makes presents appear under the tree on Christmas, and it's a miracle.

grkvlt 10y ago

Santa Claus.

metaphorm 10y ago

I think OP was referring to young Earth creationism