Musing about facts, evidence, opinions and subject matter

Arrogance

We are experiencing a rising tide of radical right (fascist IMO) political and religious crackpottery, irrational fear and rage-mongering, lies, slanders and the like. While watching this train wreck unfold, differences between religion and politics on the one hand, and other kinds of subject matter on the other come to mind. 

Subject matter like computer science and engineering are heavily grounded in facts and empirical evidence. Logic matters. If a product fails to work properly, the people who built, use or own it usually know about the failure about the time it occurs. There is usually no argument about it. Failure is failure. In that evidence-based world, facts are usually mostly accepted. 

On the other extreme, we have politics and religion. There, facts and logic usually do not matter much or at all. Despite that, most people claim their politics is based on facts and sound reasoning. Social science research indicates that such beliefs are mostly false most of the time for most people. Human biases, emotions, morals, interests, loyalties and so forth usually push aside facts, true truths and/or sound reasoning when they are inconvenient or threatening. That's just how we evolved. Human intelligence is limited by evolution.

There are some people who are exceptionally smart in dealing with science and engineering. Elon Musk is one. In his business dealings, he usually knows what works and what fails. When some product or idea he works with fails or is false, he knows. There usually is not much to bicker about, maybe other than how to fix the problem fastest and at lowest cost.

But what happens to all that intelligence when it enters the realm of politics and/or religion? It usually decreases a hell of a lot. People like Musk aren’t much or any better than the rest of us. They revert to the mean. They can arguably be worse than average people when things such as rigid ideology, arrogance, fame and/or wealth leads them to false beliefs and rejection of what is inconvenient but true. 

It just feels so good to believe what feels good that most people cannot resist, even when what feels good is false. Two researchers described the human condition in politics like this:

“. . . . the typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental performance as soon as he enters the political field. He argues and analyzes in a way which he would readily recognize as infantile within the sphere of his real interests. . . . cherished ideas and judgments we bring to politics are stereotypes and simplifications with little room for adjustment as the facts change. . . . . the real environment is altogether too big, too complex, and too fleeting for direct acquaintance. We are not equipped to deal with so much subtlety, so much variety, so many permutations and combinations. Although we have to act in that environment, we have to reconstruct it on a simpler model before we can manage it.”

That applies to Elon Musk. Recently, Musk fell for a false crackpot conspiracy theory related to the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband. It was put out by a known source of crackpot conspiracy theories and lies. The lie was that the attack on Pelosi’s husband was a false flag operation and involved a male prostitute. Not one shred of evidence existed. No facts were involved. Just pure comforting lies. 

Musk has 100 million followers on Twitter. He tweeted that lie, but hours later deleted it. He wanted to pretend he did not make the amateur mistake he made. The damage his Tweet caused cannot be undone. He was no better than most of us. His hate of government, taxes, Democrats and love of brass knuckles capitalism made him believe lies and slanders that were obviously false but deeply comforting and satisfying.  

That is not fact or logic at work. For most people (~90% ?), that is standard human mental performance in politics. Religion is the same.[1] The other people who try to set aside the allure of deeply comforting and satisfying mirages and lies are the ones with moral courage and a solid work ethic. Politics isn’t a game or entertainment. In a democracy, it is complex, hard work. In tyrannies and theocracies, politics is a nasty game. Lazy, arrogant jackasses like Musk are clueless when they play their toxic brand of self-centered anti-democratic politics. They really think they know it all and we should listen to them. They are so wrong it is pathetic.

Footnote: 

1. To me, discussing matters of theology never made any sense. It is just not subject matter for rational discourse. It is a matter of faith, not fact or logic. Religious beliefs are mostly whatever a person, church or denomination needs them to be. What the sacred texts say to the contrary just doesn’t exist or matter for the most part.