On February 22, 2020, ” mad” Mike Hughes launched himself in the air after towing a homemade rocket into the Mojave desert. His goal? His goal? To see the flatness Earth from space. It was tragically fatal. This was his third attempt. Hughes died shortly after takeoff when he crashed.
Hughes’ nickname, Mad Mike, might seem apt. Isn’t it crazy to risk your own life for a theory which was disproven by ancient Greece?
Hughes’ conviction is striking but not unique. People have always held strong convictions that seemed to be devoid of evidence. One might call them “extraordinary belief.”
evolutionary biologists like myself find the prevalence of these beliefs a puzzle. The human brain evolved to create accurate models of reality. We do pretty well most of the time. Why do people often adopt and form beliefs without strong evidence to support them?
In a recent review in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences , I offer a simple solution. The same reasons people believe in flat Earths, spirits, and microchipped vaccinations apply to all other beliefs. They believe these beliefs because of their experiences.
Theories of extraordinary beliefs
Social scientists tend to have a different perspective on this topic. Researchers have found that Supernatural Beliefs, Conspiracy Theories, and Pseudoscience are completely impervious of contrary evidence. They have therefore assumed that the experience of a person is irrelevant to their beliefs. They have instead focused on two additional explanatory factors.
Cognitive biases are the first explanation. Psychologists claim that humans have mental shortcuts to reason about the way the world functions. People are prone to see intelligence and intentions in random events. This bias could explain why many people believe that gods control weather and illness.
Second, social dynamics. People don’t adopt beliefs because they are sure they are true. They do it because others hold the same beliefs or because they want to show off to other people. Some conspiracy theorists adopt bizarre beliefs because they have a community that supports and is loyal to them.
These two approaches can explain in part why people hold extraordinary beliefs. They ignore three ways in which experience, along with the two other factors, can help shape extraordinary beliefs.
1. Experience as a filter
First, I suggest that experience can be used as a filter. It helps determine which beliefs are likely to spread successfully throughout a group.
Consider the flat Earth hypothesis as an example. It’s not true, and we know it for sure. But it’s just as wrong as a theory that Earth is shaped in a cone. What makes the flat Earth theory so much more popular than its equally incorrect alternative?
It’s as simple as that – when standing on the Earth, it appears flat and not cone-shaped. Visual evidence tends to favor one belief over another. It’s not surprising, then, that some people choose to believe what their eyes tell them.
2. Experience as a spark
Second, I believe that experiences can be a catalyst for extraordinary beliefs. Strange experiences such as auditory illusions are hard to explain. People try to explain these experiences, and come up with strange beliefs in the process.
Sleep paralysis is an excellent case study. Sleep Paralysis occurs in the time between sleep and wakefulness. You feel awake but can’t speak or move. It is a terrifying condition and quite common. It’s interesting to note that sufferers often feel as if there is a agent on their chest.
Scientists interpret sleep paralysis to be the result of confusion in the brain. It’s easy to imagine how someone with no scientific background, which is nearly everyone in history, might interpret this experience as proof of supernatural beings.
3. Experience as a tool
The third possible route to extraordinary beliefs is particularly intriguing to me. Many people do not just have extraordinary beliefs, but they also develop immersive practices to make them feel true.
Imagine, for example, that you are a farmer in the Lesotho highlands in southern Africa where I do ethnographic fieldwork. You have a series miscarriages and want to find out why. You go to an old-fashioned healer who tells you you can find out the reason for your miscarriages by drinking a hallucinogenic brew. You drink the brew. You begin to see the spirits. They speak to you, and explain your misfortune.
This experience could reinforce your belief that spirits exist. These immersive practices, such as prayers, dances ritualistic, and the use of psychoactive substances for religious purposes create evidence which makes associated beliefs seem true.
What’s next?
Extraordinary beliefs do not have a negative or positive connotation. Religious Beliefs are particularly important for providing meaning, security, and a feeling of community to billions of people.
It is a grave concern that misinformation about Science, and Politics are rampant. Researchers can better combat the spread of these beliefs by recognizing their experience-based origins.
My suggested perspective could also encourage compassion and kinship towards people who have beliefs that are very different from yours. They aren’t “crazy” or insincere. They are just like any other person who believes that the evidence is in their favor.
Eli Elster has not disclosed any relevant affiliations other than their academic appointment.
