Why Are We Believers? Test Yourself! [Read First Post]
 

Do you consider yourself a skeptic? This is a simple test you can do in order to see whether or not you are a rational being, free from superstition. It works best if you dedicate yourself and follow the steps of the test as I describe. You only need a pen or a pencil and something to write on and the test should only take a minute or so.

So that I don't spoil the subsequent steps of the game, I will use the spoiler tags and divide the game up into three steps. Of course you start with 1.









If you did the test, you should have had some sort of experience confronting your own deeply ingrained beliefs or fears. Feel free to write about your experiences in a post, but try not to spoil the test for others. :)

I myself fail at this test, going into all the pitfalls even if I don't want to. I've wondered why it is that I who consider myself a skeptic still am superstitious. Am I afraid of the possibility that I could kill a loved one with a note or is it simply the negative association, thinking of a loved one dying, which controls the way I think about things?

At least I think it demonstrates how difficult it is to be a rational being, free from superstition, and how we are not rational by nature.

I don't think Its about feeling that your note will cause someone to die, its simply the thought of a loved one dying that would make you want to stop writing or throw the note away. Whether or not you think the note could cause a death, it's just not pleasant for that thought to go through your mind.

But I would rather tear the note than burn it so it seems I have some reservations about burning notes with peoples names on them. That indicates to me that I am in fact worried that my actions can kill someone, even if it's just writing and burning a note.

Anyone else feel the same?

I was able to write it out, I guess I win. I did end up throwing out the paper because I wrote my mom's name on it and that'd be awkward if she ended up seeing it. Curiously enough, she got in an accident a few weeks back. Maybe I am a little weirded out by this, actually.

I'm not sure that it can be said you are superstitious with confidence. There are many other factors, such as confronting your deepest fears, as you said. I also feel uncomfortable thinking about getting cancer or being mugged, but I don't believe that writing or thinking it has any influence over whether or not it will happen--that is not what is uncomfortable, it is the notion of it.

As for the preference of tearing to burning, I simply don't think it wise to start a fire in my apartment.

EDIT: I also think that the method of presenting the test generates the unpleasant feeling; you are surprised by the second instruction. It catches you off guard, without preparation. Given a few minutes to read the whole set of instructions would feel very different, and as it is the process that is supposed to be the test, I think it's rendered invalid if the process can be repeated under different conditions with varied results.

Exactly.

It would just be weird to keep a note that says "mom is going to die in a car crash." :laughing:

I must add that **** happens all the time, so what if your mom just so happened to die not Lon after you wrote that note? You may not feel responsible, but I bet you sure as hell wish you wouldn't have written that note nonetheless.

I very nearly chose my deceased pet's name. :laughing:

I think the surprise is somewhat important, actually. If you imagine this test could say something about how our behavior is influenced by feelings, then obviously this instinctual fear that you first feel when you are surprised by the second instruction is also something that will influence our behaviour. :)

And we can use rational thinking and arguments to talk ourselves into doing something that by instinct seems uncomfortable to us, but the fact you have to demonstrates nicely how instinctual we are in emotional responses and thus in our actions; that it comes naturally to us and that behaving rationally is something we have to learn or even teach/convince/force ourselves to do.

I felt a bit odd about it, but that went away when I became amused at imagining if I just up and showed the paper to my friend (who was the person I wrote down) the paper without explanation and him giving me a "Dude...huh?" sorta look. The funny thing though, is that while I don't believe in ghosts or gods or spirits or anything like that, I will not mess with a ouija board. It just gives me the creeps, and they don't do anything useful, so I see no reason to tempt fate.