Conversation

Aella
@Aella_Girl
Ppl who are real into astrology/conspiracies/woo beliefs *really* trigger me, but it's not because of the beliefs themselves, it's what it indicates about the person. To me, it implies a profound lack of curiosity in checking to see if their beliefs are true. 1/
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
They're drawn to woo beliefs because it feels good or serves some meaning purpose for them - which I get, I mean I was raised in religion - but there's a total absence of interest in tests to check other theories for why they might be experiencing this thing 2/
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
I don't get this! How could you not be curious about other theories, when you *know* other people in the world deeply believe stuff that is clearly wrong? It *must* feel convincing to them, so "feeling convincing" to you shouldn't be sufficient criteria. 3/
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
Anyway, to me woo beliefs indicate the person has a systemic lack of interest in knowing if they're wrong, and doesn't question their models of their own experience. And this is *really bad* for interpersonal relationships. What if they're wrong about *you*? 4/
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
Getting to know someone really deeply requires setting aside your own models to step into their models; it requires being really interested in being willing to be wrong about someone, in actively seeking that out. It's a delicate, careful, nuanced process. 5/
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Karl Smith
@karlbykarlsmith
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
Perhaps the q isn't whether woo is "wrong" but whether it works. Does it make their lives more functional? Similarly, how can we have a caring supportive relationship in which we give each other what we need to be fulfilled is probably more important than rational understanding
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Show replies
Saeedreza
@IAmSaeedreza
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
This tells more about you than others. The interesting question would be asking why such anchoring believes. If you dive deep enough in your own beliefs you will find similar patterns.
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Digital Gnomead
@digitalgnomead
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
I have multiple close family like this, and one of them is even a practicing astrologer. You are exactly right: they don't care at all about me or my beliefs, but are constantly trying to sell me on their own, to be *seen* without *seeing*. Impossible to have a relationship with.
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dougvk
@dougvk
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
have you discovered an internally consistent woo theory yet? i think there’s one or two that work and are consistent and don’t contradict anything “western”
NondescriptTransfer
@QuaintTransfer
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
You hang out with a lot of people in the rationalist community who care deeply about whether something is true. But beliefs are used for more than just modelling the world. We also use them to identify our tribe as well as to manage our internal state.
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Gregory Hatch 🛌
@HatchingPlans
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
I think many loosely believe to be a part of a community of belief, invigorated by seemingly strong correlations. Some insist in its truth & i could see that being troubling. I suspect most people are just cosplaying craps table fervor in their mentions (fun when acting as if)
Cig Zone
@ekstasis
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
“The same savage who, apparently in order to kill his enemy, sticks his knife through a picture of him, really does build his hut of wood and cuts his arrow with skill and not in effigy.”
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