have been wondering recently what my blind spots are, what are beliefs I have that are unexamined or based on too little evidence for how much I believe them …

maybe there are common patterns, that people commonly believe false things and I might be challenged in my own beliefs this way

  • @[email protected]
    7•2 days ago

    I have mixed feelings:

    And yet ordinary people should be able to say “I want to stop choking on yellow smoke every time I go outside” without having to learn the difference between hexamethyldecawhatever and tetraethylpentawhatever.

    • Cowbee [he/they]
      7•2 days ago

      That’s a fair point, but that doesn’t apply to everything. Believing something strongly is more about the factual basis of things, rather than direct desires for improvements. Like, I wouldn’t say I have a strong belief that I want a bagel right now, I just want the bagel, but I can say I have a strong belief that bagels are a type of bread.

      • @[email protected]
        3•2 days ago

        okay fair enough. But placing “want” aside, I also think people should be able to say there shouldn’t be yellow smoke even if they aren’t experts.