Chapter 17
They believe what?!
Beliefs
are “assumed knowledge”. Without belief, humanity would have likely died out as
a species eons ago. They allow us to act despite incomplete knowledge. But not
all beliefs are practical or helpful. Three types we can consider here are
hallucinations, superstitions, and those we can simply call “Weird”. How do
these different types of beliefs differ? First, let’s consider hallucinations.
The
human mind has the ability to see, hear, or sense things that aren’t there - Hallucinations.
Common causes include physical or mental illness, neurological disorders,
substance abuse or withdrawal, medication side effects, trauma, and sensory or
sleep deprivation. A related phenomenon is paranoia. We can imagine that
ill-intending forces are conspiring against us. We see this as a side-effect of
certain drugs and in people suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
What
about Superstition? Superstitions are widely held but unjustified
beliefs in supernatural causation.
Surveys in the United States have shown that roughly 25% of people here
identify as superstitious, with some studies suggesting that around half of
respondents may be at least a little superstitious. In certain Asian cultures,
the percentage is much higher. Do you believe wearing your favorite sports
team’s jersey affects the outcome of games? Do you avoid walking under
ladders or do you knock on wood? What about the numbers 13 or 4? Humans can be
superstitious about nearly anything. But why?
Humans are superstitious because of a
mix of psychology, evolution, and culture.
Pattern-Seeking
Brains: Humans are natural pattern detectors. It helped our
ancestors survive. Better to make a false connection (superstition) than miss a
real danger. This tendency is called apophenia - finding meaning or connections
in unrelated things.
Evolutionary Advantage
- It is low-risk, high-reward to believe something might work. Early
humans who were overly cautious (e.g., avoiding "cursed" caves)
likely lived longer—even if the caves weren’t actually cursed. A false-positive belief is safer than a false-negative belief.
Illusion of Control
- When things feel random or scary (death, illness, love, sports), we crave
control. Superstitions (like lucky socks or rituals) create the illusion of
influence. Studies show people become more superstitious during stress,
uncertainty, or fear (e.g., soldiers in war, gamblers, students before exams).
Cultural Conditioning - We inherit superstitions through family, religion, culture, and media. Once repeated, these ideas stick - especially if they are reinforced by coincidence.
Cognitive Biases - Several
mental shortcuts feed superstition.
o
We remember the times it worked
and ignore when it didn’t (Confirmation bias).
o
Assuming A caused B just because it
came before (Post hoc fallacy).
o
Believing unseen forces (spirits,
fate) are at work (Agent detection).
Spiritual or Existential Meaning - Some people find comfort in believing that signs and symbols have hidden meanings, and the universe communicates in mysterious ways. This is especially powerful in times of loss, change, or crisis.
In summary, we are superstitious because our brains seek patterns, caution is evolutionarily adaptive, we seek control when the world is scary, and we trust cultural traditions.
Here is a sampling of superstitions from around the world:
- Philippines: Wearing red during a storm is believed to attract
lightning.
- Japan: Breaking a bottle accidentally brings luck.
- Bulgaria: Putting a pillow on a table is believed to bring bad
luck.
- Italy, Portugal: Walking backward is believed to allow the devil to
follow.
- South Korea: Leaving a fan on while sleeping in a closed room is thought to
be fatal.
- Sweden: Killing a spider is
believed to cause rain the next day.
- India: Trimming nails before bed
is considered bad luck.
- Kenya: An itchy left palm is
thought to predict a windfall of money.
- Poland: Bags on the ground are
believed to allow money to "jump out".
Finally, let’s consider “Weird Beliefs”. By this I mean beliefs that are about
things that are highly unlikely if not impossible, run counter to scientific
findings, and are often viewed as strange by people who do not hold them. To
poke a little fun at our species’ silliness, then, here is a partial list of
beliefs held by our fellow humans.
Hollow Earth Theory
The Earth is hollow and possibly inhabited by advanced beings or civilizations
inside.
Trepanation as Enlightenment (Ancient
& Modern)
Drilling a hole in the skull will release evil spirits - or in modern versions
- enable higher consciousness.
Finger Cutting Rituals (Dani Tribe of
Papua)
Cutting off parts of fingers after losing a loved one helps express grief and
keeps the spirits calm.
Cattle ownership
All cattle in the world belong to the Maasai tribe in Kenya.
Racism
Certain human races are sub-human and not worthy of human rights or dignity.
Flat Earth Belief
The Earth is a flat disc with an ice wall at the edges. (A belief still held by
many.)
The Earth is the center of the
Universe
In the seventeenth century, Galileo was
tried by the Catholic church as a heretic for challenging this belief.
Climate
Change
If
global warming is occurring, it is likely just a typical climate variation and
not caused by the activities of Humans.
Reptilian Elite Conspiracy
World leaders are actually shape-shifting alien reptiles in disguise.
QAnon
A cabal of elites runs a global child trafficking ring, and secret heroes are
fighting them behind the scenes.
The “Breatharian” Movement
People can live without food or water, sustained only by sunlight or prana
(life energy).
Akashic Records
A metaphysical database contains every thought, word, and action ever recorded
in the universe and is accessible through meditation.
Heaven’s
Gate (U.S.)
A spaceship behind the Hale-Bopp comet was going to take the souls of the cult
members to a higher existence. To facilitate this, members died in a mass
suicide in 1997.
Scientology’s
Galactic Backstory
According to L. Ron Hubbard, billions of alien souls (called Thetans) were
trapped on Earth 75 million years ago by a dictator named Xenu.
The
True Religion
God
favors one very specific system of beliefs. All humans must adopt those beliefs
or suffer dire consequences.
What
does it matter that your next-door neighbor imagines seeing their long-deceased
dog romping in their side yard or that they would never stay on the fourth
floor of a hotel or that they believe Jesus visited the Americas? I would argue
that it does not matter, unless…. If a
person’s belief leads to actions that harm themselves or other people, then
yes, it does matter.