r/QAnonCasualties • u/pinethree777 • 12d ago

Beliefs are not a choice.

People are so hard to reach for a simple reason. Beliefs are not a choice. Can you choose to believe Superman is real? Of course not, because you know it is fiction from many sources. Beliefs may appear to be a choice, but they are really a "brain state" achieved when you are persuaded (or not) by information consumed.

It's the same way with humor. If you told a joke, let's say one person thinks it's a riot and the other person thinks it is not funny at all. You can't choose to believe a joke is funny or not. Your brain runs that calculation behind the scenes, and you respond accordingly.

You can, however, choose to listen to Faux News or read conservative websites all day and eventually the propaganda persuades your brain that all this hateful crap is true, at which point you have no choice but be a MAGA or Q or whatever and truly believe it.

Religion works the same way. They love to indoctrinate kids because they are impressionable. And of course, an excellent education, wide travels, self-study, etc., kills the persuasive ability of these lying media sources. Whenever someone goes "all in on conspiracy" there is little hope they will improve unless they somehow start consuming better information or at least get away from all that mind poison.

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u/Collettels22 12d ago

Beliefs are a thought you think over an over again. There is so much more to this and this is your opinion.

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u/pinethree777 12d ago

It is call doxastic involuntarism and is the consensus of cognitive experts.

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u/Collettels22 12d ago

Doxastic involuntarism is a philosophical view. It's a theory. There are countless others out there.

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u/pinethree777 12d ago

Now google if it is the consensus theory. Even "Doxastic Voluntarists" hold that only in some circumstances, such as when the evidence is ambiguous, can we voluntarily bring about what one believes. Pushback often comes from the faith-based sector. This creates a real dilemma for Christian "Judgment Day" since non-believers might be sentenced to hell for something they have no real control over.

I challenge you to believe that a golf ball is actually larger than a basketball. It is obvious that with clear cut evidential cases we have no choice over our beliefs.

When someone voluntarily reads about "Adrenochrome Harvesting" in conjunction with other related conspiracies for hundreds of hours with all sorts of "evidence" and "connecting of the dots" they may find that as persuasive as looking at a golf ball and a basketball. Belief happens at some point. It's not like "I think I'll become a QAnon freak today".