Having just watched this video about the power of placebo (thanks @mikepearce), it got me thinking (again) about how susceptible we [humans] are to self delusion. To be deluded is to have a fixed belief in something that is not true that is resistant to reason - in other words, having blind faith in something for which there is no evidence, and moreover, for which there is lots of factual evidence to the contrary.
Makes me wonder how self-deluded I am. I don't think I am (of course), but then how would I know? I mean I don't think I have many 'fixed' beliefs, which, I like to think is a scientific perceptive - (today I have evidence that this is true, but tomorrow controvertible evidence may come to light to belie this truth) - and so I should always be ready to disbelieve anything.
Self confidence = self delusion?
Suppose you are a confident person instilled with self belief. You know how it goes, 'believe in yourself and anything is possible'.
My guess is that I am self deluded to some degree, or at least, I must have been in the past. Ill have to give this some thought to try and figure out some examples - later!.
For most of us self delusion probably serves a self beneficial purpose, but whenever I watch talent shows on TV and see so many exposed souls utterly convinced they have talent, when they really haven't, I question that.
At least their delusion has given them hope and purpose on their journey through life - at least until the point at which the delusion is eventually publicly shattered in front of millions - but its the journey that matters, right?
Derren Brown's techniques also illustrate just how very easy it is to induce self delusion, using only the power of suggestion.
Maybe without self delusion we would all be very depressed, forced to live with the grim realities of our existence?
.. this is interesting: http://www.scienceofscams.com/
Makes me wonder how self-deluded I am. I don't think I am (of course), but then how would I know? I mean I don't think I have many 'fixed' beliefs, which, I like to think is a scientific perceptive - (today I have evidence that this is true, but tomorrow controvertible evidence may come to light to belie this truth) - and so I should always be ready to disbelieve anything.
Self confidence = self delusion?
Suppose you are a confident person instilled with self belief. You know how it goes, 'believe in yourself and anything is possible'.
My guess is that I am self deluded to some degree, or at least, I must have been in the past. Ill have to give this some thought to try and figure out some examples - later!.
For most of us self delusion probably serves a self beneficial purpose, but whenever I watch talent shows on TV and see so many exposed souls utterly convinced they have talent, when they really haven't, I question that.
At least their delusion has given them hope and purpose on their journey through life - at least until the point at which the delusion is eventually publicly shattered in front of millions - but its the journey that matters, right?
Derren Brown's techniques also illustrate just how very easy it is to induce self delusion, using only the power of suggestion.
Maybe without self delusion we would all be very depressed, forced to live with the grim realities of our existence?
.. this is interesting: http://www.scienceofscams.com/
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