Why do we think the way we do?

It’s tempting to consider that we believe in what we perceive to be true. We operate rationally and follow the evidence - or so we think.

Here’s a counter-proposal: we hold beliefs and opinions that will help us fit in. When we consider new ideas, our inner radar ponders, “Is it popular?” as much as “Is it true?”.

Leo Tolstoy starts his autobiographical book, A Confession, with this honest observation: we drift toward beliefs or away from them as people around us do, following the trends and fashions of our social circles.

"The decline of my faith occurred in the way in which it has always happened, and still happens, among those from our kind of background. It seems to me that in the majority of instances it happens like this: people live as everyone lives… religious doctrine plays no part in life, or in relations between people, neither are we confronted with it in our personal lives. Religious doctrine is professed in some other realm, at a distance from life and independent of it. If we encounter it, it is only as an external phenomenon, disconnected from life".(1)

I have seen it happen several times. When people drift away from faith, it is often an emotional and social affair more than a cognitive exercise. They will express intellectual doubts, but these often follow, rather than precede, desires and behaviours. A new romantic pursuit may challenge someone’s faith commitments more than reading Richard Dawkins.

In The Second Mountain, New York Times columnist David Brooks argues that,

"There is no such thing as thinking for yourself or thinking alone. All thinking is communication, and all the concepts in your head are inherited from a procession of thinkers stretching back thousands of years. We are social animals, and a lot of our thinking is in pursuit of bonding, not truth seeking. A lot of our thinking is trying to have the opinion that will help you win social approval and admittance into the right social circles. The hard part of intellectual life is separating what is true from what will get you liked".(2)

I agree. In the last twenty years certain ideas have moved from being inconceivable to becoming unpopular, then acceptable, then politically correct, while other notions trended in the opposite direction. Why is this so? Might cultural trends influence what people think as much as individual reasonings?

For people who grew up with a religious background, honesty compels us to examine what we have inherited. On the other hand, we should question our skepticism even more, since today it’s more in vogue than religious affiliation.

That doesn’t mean that we should be perpetual skeptics, unwilling to commit to anything. It means, rather, that healthy belief and healthy belonging includes an examination of why we come to our conclusions.

Psychologist Jenny Brown writes,

"When it comes to beliefs, it’s simple to go along with the viewpoint of your majority group, your parents, your cultural group or your peer group. If you’re carrying unaddressed resentments toward your parents there may be a tendency to take on beliefs that are the opposite of theirs. Whether you adopt beliefs to comply with or to rebel against others, in each scenario there isn’t much thought and effort going into the process. This leads to beliefs that are superficial".(3)

Again, the point is not accepting or rejecting the convictions of our upbringing. Nor does it mean rejecting ideas because they are popular today. It means, rather, that an examined life is better than going with the flow.

So, what do you believe in? Have a great reflection!

René Breuel, pastor of an evangelical church in Rome.

Notes