Those who believe that they are in possession of Truth (or a truth) often ask themselves why others persist in believing in (what appears to the questioner) falsehood–contrary to any proof or argument.

This perspective/question begs the further (and more important, to my mind) question of WHY people believe what they believe and WHAT ROLE belief plays–because we make the erroneous assumption that belief is based upon logic, facts, and argument in the face of persistent evidence that belief is usually not logical, fact-based, or arrived at through reasoned argumentation. I have pondered this and related questions for many years and it seems to me (in simple and direct terms) that what we believe in constitutes a major, if often subconscious or invisible, portion of our identity–it helps us to define who we are. Religious or quasi-religious beliefs are particularly strong components of identity. The strength of the emotional tie to belief (and the attendant ties, in the case of religious belief to support groups and mechanisms, social institutions, and interior/psychological support) makes it unlikely that many, if not most, people will be unwilling to significantly alter their belief system under other than exceptional circumstances–unless they possess a rare flexibility of mind and a more than average sense of rationality.

This is an area where much could be said–but I just wanted to plant a seed, so to speak.

R Mercer