http://www.timesonline.co.uk/...
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The human brain is hard-wired to be susceptible to supernatural beliefs as a result of tens of thousands of years of evolution, a British psychologist said today.Religion and other forms of magical thinking continue to thrive, in spite of a lack of evidence and the advance of science, because people are naturally biased to accept a role for the irrational in their daily lives, according to Bruce Hood, Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol.
This evolved credulity suggests that it will be impossible to root out belief in ideas such as creationism and paranormal phenomena, even though they have been refuted by evidence and are held as a matter of faith alone.
People ultimately believe in them for the same reasons as they attach sentimental value to inanimate objects like wedding rings or teddy bears, and recoil from artefacts linked to evil, as if they are pervaded by a physical "essence".
Even the most rational people behave in these irrational ways, and supernatural beliefs are part of the same continuum, Professor Hood told the British Association Festival of Science in Norwich today.
To demonstrate, he asked members of his audience if they were prepared to put on an old-fashioned blue cardigan in return for a £10 reward, and had no shortage of volunteers.
He then informed them that the cardigan used to belong to Fred West, the mass murderer.
"Most hands went down," he said.
After reading the entire article I am able to understand how so many people can be duped so often.
Rove and his cabal clearly know this and exploit it well.
Update: I made this comment in the thread below,but I think it needs to be here too. After the Columbine tragedy saw a kid who was in the school during the shooting, being interviewed, and he made a comment that struck me and has made me curious about how people think. He said words to the effect that he "tried as hard as he could in his mind to make it not real" as the events were unfolding. I remember thinking that way as a kid but thought that I had grown out of it. This article posits that people are naturally inclined to use mystical thinking. I see evidence of that way of thinking in sports fans, who actually believe that their cheering has some impact on the outcome of the match . I see evidence in people who firmly believe that their prayers actually have some impact on the events in other's lives. I just think that Rove and his group have understood and tapped into that way of thinking to effectively sell their version of the world, even though the facts clearly refute their claims. We're banging our heads trying to figure out how to drive reality home to people. Karl understands that reality is the wrong, and unnecessary, message.
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