Author: Jon

Why are some ideas so upsetting to people?

Author: Jonathan Pearson
Version: 0
Date Written: 17/01/2019
Date Updated: 18/01/2019
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Think the heretics who proposed that the earth was round.
Children learn, adults defend their beliefs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdala , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latent_inhibition
Strongly held beliefs keep the brain from having to constantly examine Novel stimulus to examine if it’s a threat or not. The unknown (or different) is chaos and requires energy and thought. Humans avoid thought and expending energy because we have to revisit chaos and fear and this can be hard work and challenging.
Put that together with the tendency to avoid hard work – I call it the Fat, Dumb and Lazy idea. i.e. why work when I don’t have to? We have a limited amount of food and time I’d rather do anything else than think. Ironically the wealthier people get the less able they are to think or adapt. See Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
Much of this is not new but was put together nicely in a heavily referenced book “Maps of Meaning - The architecture of Belief” by Jordan B Peterson. Try pages 48-60.
What is clear is that people tend not to think at all. They tend to repeat their already strongly held beliefs.
I would recommend:
1.	 “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices”, William James https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15865.William_James 
2.	Cognitive Bias http://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/cognitive-bias-infographic.html
3.	Rules About Making Peace http://jordanbpeterson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/BC-08-2005-Peterson-JB-Peacemaking-Psych-Resolv-Glob-Conflict.pdf 
4.	humanity's "present state, and those through which it has passed, are a necessary constitution of the moral composition of humankind"; that the progress of the natural sciences must be followed by progress in the moral and political sciences "no less certain, no less secure from political revolutions"; that social evils are the result of ignorance and error rather than an inevitable consequence of human nature - Marquis de Condorcet 
5.	“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein
6.	‘Human, all too Human” Friedrich Nietzsche, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/38145/38145-h/38145-h.htm   
7.	Logical fallacies https://www.logicallyfallacious.com  https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/  
8.	The sleep of reason brings forth monsters – Christopher Hitchens, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sleep_of_Reason_Produces_Monsters 
9.	Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman - https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/books/review/thinking-fast-and-slow-by-daniel-kahneman-book-review.html  
10.	The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. – Betrand Russell
11.	“Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race!” – Animal Farm - George Orwell https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79a/complete.html 
12.	1984 - George Orwell https://www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/1984.pdf  
13.	Lord of The Flies – William Golding http://www.yoanaj.co.il/uploadimages/userfiles/352.pdf 
14.	“Don’t Panic” – Douglas Adams
In a human sense what we need to do is recognize the value of discussion of ideas from people with widely differing views. When topics are complex this becomes even more important. When you are making decisions for your self – you can be wrong, your family – a few more people suffer, the nation – millions suffer – others observe, the world – the planet is at risk.
Overt and thoroughly argued discussion is important and decisions always need to be reviewed and revisited. This is even more important when success has not been defined, measured or agreed. There are lots of ways to do things unsuccessfully, it takes time to work out which ones succeed (Darwinism).
1.	Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right - Isaac Asimov
2.	Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible - Frank Zappa
3.	I used to be Perfect then I became Human - Jon Pearson
4.	“Zarathustra had more courage in his body than any other thinker before or after him. To tell the truth and TO AIM STRAIGHT” - Friedrich Nietzsche http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1998/1998-0.txt 

Keep thinking, discussing, arguing, observing, measuring, hypothesizing.