Sunday, January 9, 2011
Madness of Crowds
Maybe I need to read the book, but I think the fact that people are susceptible to the whims of charismatic, confident leaders is fairly obvious, and the more interesting enquiry is how self-aware people are of their own gullibility, and why they indulge themselves in an illusion when they know it is one. Perhaps it's that much easier and less embarrassing to come back to reality when it was someone else taking you for a spin? You'd thoroughly look like a fool if you tricked yourself, wouldn't you?
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Hey Keith, its Jared. This is my blogspot account for my Japanese class, that's why my name here is in Japanese. I couldn't find a quick way to fix it.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading "The Demon-Haunted World", by Carl Sagan and he talks about many similar themes. He talks extensively about UFO's, aliens, abductees, etc. One thing that stuck out to me is how many people have come forward and confessed that they perpetrated certain hoaxes, and no one seems to care. Sagan mentions all these people who have confessed to making crop circles, but UFO believers claim "oh that one was faked, but flying saucers have been responsible for still others." It baffles me that faced with proof that crop circles are fakable and that many humans have been involved in making them, and the fact that there is no single shred of decent evidence for UFO's, these believers are still convinced. I'm not saying that aliens are for sure not visiting Earth, but to be so convinced without the necessary evidence is careless and dangerous. Skepticism is an incredible useful tool that empowers those who utilize it.
You should've kept your identity a secret...you could've been the most mysterious commenter on my blog! Great example. People hear what they want to hear so they can keep their dreams alive. It would appear as though people would rather seem/be crazy than stupid, and I guess that is rational. Strange world.
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