“The allure of certainty” !! Yes, that is very powerful, whether political or spiritual. Such certainty reassures our basic survival instincts — if we’re certain we’re safe.
Excellent read. My first college political science course was called "authoritarian leadership and totalitarianism" and that was back in 1964! My college, graduate school and law school courses were grounded on the Enlightenment theory that each "man" was "reasonable". That was known as the "reasonable man theory" in law which had to be altered to the "reasonable person theory" in the 1980s. But that bled into the belief that individual agency was grounded on inerrant reason alone. Thus each citizen could believe that from college professors to grade school dropouts, any belief was grounded in reason and thus couldn't be challenged. Then came the evangelical/cultic religious beliefs such as the sovereign citizen movement that held one's beliefs came from God/Dear Leader/Scripture via "beliefs" which were not rebuttable by alternative "facts." Then reality became increasingly complex, far beyond the black/white dichotomy of school lessons and catechism. Without a grounding in either/or, both/and, or "we're not 100% sure", these overburdened people chose to hand over life decisions to The Strong Man, "Only I can fix it". Whew, what a relief that must be to countless millions. Attacks on critical thinking within primary schools has also permitted the populace to avoid the hard question about what the "truth" truly is, and who holds that authority.
Your collaboration is so constructive and solution oriented. Thank you for brainstorming together about such vital issues that impact many people worldwide.
You host fascinating guests and I also find your work very helpful. If I had one request, it would be for you to allow your guests to talk more. I would really love to hear more of her historical perspective and how it aligns with your psychological perspective. Please keep up the good work, it’s very needed.
“The allure of certainty” !! Yes, that is very powerful, whether political or spiritual. Such certainty reassures our basic survival instincts — if we’re certain we’re safe.
Excellent read. My first college political science course was called "authoritarian leadership and totalitarianism" and that was back in 1964! My college, graduate school and law school courses were grounded on the Enlightenment theory that each "man" was "reasonable". That was known as the "reasonable man theory" in law which had to be altered to the "reasonable person theory" in the 1980s. But that bled into the belief that individual agency was grounded on inerrant reason alone. Thus each citizen could believe that from college professors to grade school dropouts, any belief was grounded in reason and thus couldn't be challenged. Then came the evangelical/cultic religious beliefs such as the sovereign citizen movement that held one's beliefs came from God/Dear Leader/Scripture via "beliefs" which were not rebuttable by alternative "facts." Then reality became increasingly complex, far beyond the black/white dichotomy of school lessons and catechism. Without a grounding in either/or, both/and, or "we're not 100% sure", these overburdened people chose to hand over life decisions to The Strong Man, "Only I can fix it". Whew, what a relief that must be to countless millions. Attacks on critical thinking within primary schools has also permitted the populace to avoid the hard question about what the "truth" truly is, and who holds that authority.
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Your collaboration is so constructive and solution oriented. Thank you for brainstorming together about such vital issues that impact many people worldwide.
You host fascinating guests and I also find your work very helpful. If I had one request, it would be for you to allow your guests to talk more. I would really love to hear more of her historical perspective and how it aligns with your psychological perspective. Please keep up the good work, it’s very needed.