Consider a few examples of widely-held convictions:The United States is the guardian of Democracy throughout the world.
(We know about its undemocratic actions in several hundred different times and places.)
God is all-powerful and all good…
(predation, parasitism, disease, natural catastrophe)
…and humankind is created in His image.
(tyranny, crime, violence, avarice, treachery, bigotry)
Evil does not exist.
(Bad deeds are committed every day.)
Science can solve every problem.
(Science has made some problems in the past.)
It’s not the people; it’s the system.
(Systems are created by people.)
I have the right and ability to make my own decisions.
(I i fail, someone else is at fault.)
The most powerful force in human affairs is not love, greed, hatred or fear, but the need for illusions.
Humans invest more effort, resources, pain and time in the maintenance of illusions than in any other activity.
Reality is consistent and logical, and needs very little explanation. Illusions, on the other hand, contradict one another and observable facts. To preserve even a single illusion, we must constantly re-explain existing knowledge. Most of us hold, not one, but three, four or a dozen mutually contradictory beliefs at the same time. We are busy enough, just keeping them in separate compartments of our minds; trying to convince others is a all-consuming task.