Recently, I noticed the above question in a Guardian article. Beliefs are unknown knowns: we know that we do not know but we still believe. This definition does, however, neither answer nor change the nature of the question above. Example: our individual beliefs about God are very different.
“I believe in Spinoza’s God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.” Albert Einstein. URL in quote by LO.
Sources: Snopes, Wiki
Atheists believe (sic!) that religious beliefs are wrong because believers cannot evidence their beliefs. This argumentation is absurd as atheists cannot evidence that their beliefs are correct. Both believe in opposite sides of the same coin. So, why are our [insert adjective] beliefs so different?
Many years ago, my auditing professor stated that if you asked 10 auditors a question, you would get 10 different answers. In my view, this remark makes sense as auditing is an art and not science (my recent blog Art vs Science). In the view of Richard Feynman, that distinction is hardly relevant.
“Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.” Richard Feynman (1918-1988)
In the view of Karl Popper (1902-1994), there is not one (1) truth but there are 3 kinds of truths:
(1) Absolute truths
(2) Objective truths a.k.a. facts.
(3) Subjective truths a.k.a. opinions.
In today’s society, even objective truths (eg, the Earth is round) are disputed by some (eg, flat Earth beliefs). Absolute truths may even be too difficult to find in a given lifetime, according to Karl Popper.
Hence, why do people think different about (almost) anything (eg, beliefs, facts, opinions, truths)?
An intriguing answer would be that this keeps humans divided rather than united. My answer reminds me of the biblical story of the Tower of Babel in which “a united human race speaking a single language” was challenging Yahweh, and was scattered around the world as punishment.
Soul With A Capital “S” (1993) by Tower of Power
band, lyrics, video, Wiki-band, Wiki-album
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
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