Quoting the OC: > Believing based on trust is a pervasive human practice, not confined to scientific inquiry. Rationalists ignore the role of identity in beli

Quoting the OC: > Believing based on trust is a pervasive human practice, not confined to scientific inquiry. Rationalists ignore the role of identity in beliefs. My socially awkward brother transmuted from becoming the next Jacques Cousteau to full throated Young Earth Creationist. He had the best schooling. He assisted with biological and sociological research. Why did my brother flip? I've been pondering this for decades. In a nutshell, my theory is he traded his beliefs for acceptance. He adopted a completely new identity in order to belong to a group. The evidence for the centrality of identity as basis of our beliefs, what some LessWrong pundits called Belief As Attire, is slowly accumulating. No amount of scientific literacy, media literacy, critical thinking, logic will successfully inoculate people from cults. There's some new research that shows early exposure helps. Such as teaching kids about pseudosciences like cryptozoology. Similarly, there's some evidence that empathy and community engagement and socialization help protect people from falling prey to cults.