beliefs unhinged scientism 'the idea that beliefs function more as signals of group membership than as vessels of epistemic truth might help us to understand why our brains seem to be chock-full of software that enables us to defend these ideas, even in the face of countervailing evidence. this can happen consciously or subconsciously; and can infiltrate cognitive processes as diverse as perception, memory, and evaluation of evidence... the cognitive quirks that seem to give rise to 'irrational' beliefs or faulty logic - confirmation_bias , motivated reasoning, selective memory, and so on- can therefore potentially be understood as adaptive proximate mechanisms that help us adopt and defend beliefs that will be most beneficial in our current social setting, rather than the beliefs that are objectively correct. This proneness to believe what we can't prove and for narratives to shape how we see the world is a crucial part of the human success story. But there is potential for much harm...the social nature of belief prevents us from taking someone else's perspective, generates confusion over the nature of true and 'alternative' facts, and can sow discord and conflict where solidarity is needed.' - nichola raihani (the social instinct p.218-19) manufacturing consent narrative management divide and conquer ALL human brains have bias built in 211009 ... epitome of incomprehensibility I've been thinking about this recently, mainly in the context of anxiety coping. About how I believe I *need* things that I don't - to ensure normality, to stave off panic. E.g. last Thursday, when I forgot both my water bottle and phone. Going downtown to tutor was fine (self-talk: I'm not tech-obsessed, right? I don't need my phone all the time) but on the way back, waiting in line for the bus, I felt thirsty and thought, "Okay, it takes 45 minutes to get home, it won't kill you" aaaaand then "but I could panic, and then I wouldn't be able to call anyone, and I'd make a scene on the bus" (as if I usually would). So I got out of the line, even though the bus was coming, bought an overpriced orange juice, and went to the train stop instead. It was more comfortable on the train, but it seemed silly to go so far out of the way. But I got some of my reading for class done, which was one thing I'd been worried about. The anxiety symptoms that seem more OCD-like I describe as "having superstitions I don't believe in." I don't know if that makes sense or not. 211014 ... unhinged yes, that makes sense eoi. my entrenched narratives stemming from my neurological disorders tend to be more from my depression than my anxiety (i am a thing to be used, especially by men, i am undeserving of love) but i smoked cigarettes for many years because i believed they quelled my anxiety. then i started meditating more which explicitly and implicitly started to dismantle my rigid belief brain and i was standing at a busstop smoking a cigarette one day and realized there was actually absolutely nothing physiologically calming about what i was doing,that my heart rate was actually increasing. if covid has taught me anything it is that it is not my job to convince anyone of anything (i probably won't succeed anyways), but if i just listen answers, love, help will most definitely appear AND i will be able to see it all for what it is. as my dad used to say, 'ask and you shall receive' 211024 what's it to you? who go blather from