On Sat, 21 Oct 2006, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
> Political repression goes out of control when people make a leap from
> a fact -- e.g., dangers of covert action exist; crimes of terrorism
> and rape, including of children, exist; and they can be difficult to
> prosecute -- to total suspension of skepticism, a radical downgrading
> of legal and scientific norms, and the conclusion that all accusations
> of heinous crimes, however lacking in evidence, must be believed.
This bring to mind the recent thread about belief in God. The idea that we can "just know things" without evidence, logic, or systematic procedures seems to appeal to many people. Let's face it: accepting claims based on authority ("God said it, I believe it, that settles it") or common sense ("kids would never lie about abuse") is much easier than careful and rigorous assessment.
--I'd go so far as to say that this tendency toward "easy" certainty is one of the main sources on misery in the world. I think we'd all be a lot better off if everyone were less certain about their most deeply held beliefs.
Miles