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Where every other belief comes from: When a mommy belief and a daddy belief love each other very much, they make a baby belief! The more precise question is why

Where every other belief comes from: When a mommy belief and a daddy belief love each other very much, they make a baby belief! The more precise question is why do certain beliefs die and others keep going strong? A belief in abundance, like beliefs about justice, karma and God, give us a useful illusion of order and safety in a universe that is chaotic, unsafe, and unjust. Abundance gives us the courage to try new things, to fail, to try again. And so, amazingly, almost mystically, justifies itself, at least to some degree for some period of time. When humans multiply to the point where they threaten to poison the thin skin of life that sustains them, it may be worth reassessing.

quickthrower2 3y ago
I don’t think they mean “The Secret” style abundance here, more like “physical things (and maybe knowledge) the population has access to and can utilise for their own good”
fifiee7f 3y ago
What does this comment actually contribute to the dialogue beyond a glib reply to the title of the link for karma farming? "OoO from our environment obviously" yawn. >And so, amazingly, almost mystically, justifies itself, at least to some degree for some period of time. When humans multiply to the point where they threaten to poison the thin skin of life that sustains them, it may be worth reassessing. Citation needed Malthusian. This reeks of "We've burned down the house we live in" rhetoric without actually stretching its neck out enough to risk courting a quantified rebuttal.
- javajosh 3y ago
  >What does this comment actually contribute to the dialogue Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know YOU were reading. Let me break down the concrete assertions in a numbered list for you. Feel free to attack any or all of them: 1. The origin of belief is unknown. 2. The success of belief is the thing. 3. Belief success is best analyzed as a system of selection, not generation. 4. The selection pressure on a belief changes over time. 5. An example of selection pressure is anything contributing to feelings of safety. 6. An example of selection pressure changing is when "abundance" is linked to "externalities". And, I would also add: 7. People are very attached to belief either as identity or as comfort. 8. (Subjective) there is a profound comfort in dispelling illusions and embracing nuanced understanding of a thing 9. (Normative) you should try it! 10. A false assertion at one time can be true in another time. EDIT: 11. Malthus did not anticipate technological advance, esp ammonia fertilizer tech, that invalidated his timeline. 12. Tech advances end. An example of the end of a tech advance ending is Moore's Law.
  - NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
    It is lucrative for an individual (or group) to be able to instill (correct or incorrect) beliefs in people other than themselves. It turns out that it is even lucrative to be able to coerce others to assert such beliefs even if they silently disbelieve (as this can convince yet others to believe). These two factors make it complicated to understand (let alone model) how beliefs succeed and fail.

quickthrower2 3y ago

I don’t think they mean “The Secret” style abundance here, more like “physical things (and maybe knowledge) the population has access to and can utilise for their own good”

fifiee7f 3y ago

What does this comment actually contribute to the dialogue beyond a glib reply to the title of the link for karma farming? "OoO from our environment obviously" yawn. >And so, amazingly, almost mystically, justifies itself, at least to some degree for some period of time. When humans multiply to the point where they threaten to poison the thin skin of life that sustains them, it may be worth reassessing. Citation needed Malthusian. This reeks of "We've burned down the house we live in" rhetoric without actually stretching its neck out enough to risk courting a quantified rebuttal.

javajosh 3y ago
>What does this comment actually contribute to the dialogue Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know YOU were reading. Let me break down the concrete assertions in a numbered list for you. Feel free to attack any or all of them: 1. The origin of belief is unknown. 2. The success of belief is the thing. 3. Belief success is best analyzed as a system of selection, not generation. 4. The selection pressure on a belief changes over time. 5. An example of selection pressure is anything contributing to feelings of safety. 6. An example of selection pressure changing is when "abundance" is linked to "externalities". And, I would also add: 7. People are very attached to belief either as identity or as comfort. 8. (Subjective) there is a profound comfort in dispelling illusions and embracing nuanced understanding of a thing 9. (Normative) you should try it! 10. A false assertion at one time can be true in another time. EDIT: 11. Malthus did not anticipate technological advance, esp ammonia fertilizer tech, that invalidated his timeline. 12. Tech advances end. An example of the end of a tech advance ending is Moore's Law.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
  It is lucrative for an individual (or group) to be able to instill (correct or incorrect) beliefs in people other than themselves. It turns out that it is even lucrative to be able to coerce others to assert such beliefs even if they silently disbelieve (as this can convince yet others to believe). These two factors make it complicated to understand (let alone model) how beliefs succeed and fail.