Reading Time: 4 minutes Trump is in legal hot water. But what will be more interesting for observers is not his reaction but that of his fervent followers.
cognitive dissonance
Posted inFilm/TV
Tom Cruise and Scientology: A lesson in cognitive dissonance
Reading Time: 12 minutes If you didn’t know any better, you’d think it was 1986 again. We’re at war with Russia by proxy, Kate Bush is top of the charts, and Top Gun is in the movie theaters. Tom Cruise has soared back into our cinemas and into our collective consciousnesses. But is he the squeaky-clean maverick that the […]
Posted inGeneral
How Authoritarians Excuse Their Leaders’ Hypocrisy
Reading Time: 7 minutes No deed exists that is so disgustingly harmful and hypocritical that evangelical Christians cannot excuse and allow it somehow. It simply needs to be committed by someone they view as important and necessary.
Posted inPhilosophy
On Refusing Epistemic Interaction: Dealing with People Who Won’t Accept Facts
Reading Time: 9 minutes I recently produced a piece or two on the ontology of abstracts and the epistemic barrier. But let’s now get psychological. Go read them for the foundation. One thing that came up in conversation between two commenters is the idea of interacting with people who do not want to accept facts and data contrary to […]
Posted inNews
The Sad Reality of (Right-Wing) Disinformation
Reading Time: < 1 minute The reaction of this woman in this fascinating video is so depressing… It is uncontrolled confirmation bias, backfire effect and cognitive dissonance all rolled into one. I’m not sure you can actually do anything about this because every action you take is met with the burying of heads in the sand. Stay in touch! Like A Tippling […]
Posted inPolitics, Religion
Big News: Evangelicals Drop Their War Against Abortion! [Satire]
Reading Time: 6 minutes Recently, evangelicals made some stunning concessions regarding their ongoing war against human rights. Yes, they finally understand exactly what they’re doing in fighting against legalized, accessible abortion care. I suppose they’ll soon be dropping their entire culture war against abortion now that they understand how important bodily self-ownership is, right? .. Right? Um, guys..?
Posted inReligion
Sofia Carozza and Her Argument from Cognitive Dissonance
Reading Time: 9 minutes Today, let me show you a post by Catholic Sofia Carozza that riffs on a cherished Christian lie about their own imagined uniqueness: that they’re so incredibly radiant and vibrant that it should inspire non-believers to doubt their doubts.
Posted inReligion
Bad Advice: The Worst Part of Cognitive Dissonance
Reading Time: 11 minutes Today, let me show you what happens when a Christian suffering from doubts collides with the tribe’s collective wisdom about dealing with doubters.
Posted inReligion
Cognitive Dissonance: (Not) Answering the Big Question
Reading Time: 9 minutes Hi and welcome back! Lately, we’ve been talking about cognitive dissonance — that uncomfortable state people get into when they realize they hold contradictory beliefs. The people who take Christianity the most seriously seem to be the most afflicted by it. We’ve seen how Christians respond (poorly) to cognitive dissonance in general and also regarding prayer. Today, […]
Posted inReligion
Cognitive Dissonance: Christian Prayer Edition
Reading Time: 9 minutes Recently, we talked about cognitive dissonance — that unpleasant feeling of tension someone gets when they realize they hold two contradictory beliefs. Christians face that tension all the time and about every belief involved with the religion (supernatural and earthly). Unfortunately, they don’t deal with that tension very well. Today, I want to show you how Christians’ beliefs in prayer create cognitive dissonance — and how they deal (poorly) with it.