#anticitizenx

This is the last of AntiCitizenX's six videos on the psychology of belief. Finally, we arrive at perhaps the original basis of theistic belief structures: hallucination.

"Hallucination is a relatively common phenomenon. Virtually all of us will, at one point or another, experience sensory perceptions generated entirely out of our own minds. Sadly, some people are more prone to this than others, and it is entirely within reason that every spiritual experience in human history is attributable to auditory, visual, and tactile hallucinations.

Anywhere between 1-2 % of the human population hears voices on a regular basis. Sometimes the voices say encouraging things. Sometimes the voices are derogatory and vicious. Other times they speak nonsense. Occasionally they are even capable of full conversations.

Sometimes the voices are audible. Sometimes they are like loud thoughts. Other times they are like severe, intrusive urges.

Sometimes the voices are a blessing in the life of the hearer. Other times the voices are a nuisance. Some people cope by taking drugs. Others cope by asserting dominance with the voices. Some have even developed bizarre coping mechanisms like having "voice time" or simply repeating everything the voices say back at them.

This is episode 5 of 6 of AntiCitizenX's great series on the psychology of belief, this time delving into 'compliance techniques,' little tricks to help a missionary get his metaphorical foot in the door.

In episode 4 of 6 of AntiCitizenX's exploration of the nature of belief, we arrive at that irritating old crutch of religion and 'alternative medicine' - personal testimony, and the 'misinformation effect': 

The third (of six) of AntiCitizenX's videos, 'confirmation bias':

"Presentation of the principles of confirmation bias and belief perseverance. The natural human tendency is to seek out only the evidence that supports what we already believe, and to ignore evidence that may debunk our beliefs. We also tend to cling to beliefs even after the original evidence which put it there has been debunked. This is the essence of belief perseverance."

Another good explanation of this irrational phenomena - how smart people can believe ridiculous things! - is given by Michael Shermer in this video:

I may as well put the rest of these up, as I haven't found them on tumblr - but they should be!

This is part 2: 'insufficient justification'. From the video description:

A very interesting series of videos by AntiCitizenX. Worth the watch, if you want to understand why many people believe in the irrational things they do. This is the first of 6 videos, and deals with this question: