I have a hypothesis: Confirmation Bias is actually a defense mechanism against "Proof by Assertion". Essentially, a lie repeated often enough is eventually believed. Nazi Propagandists like Goebbels often used Proof by Assertion as part of their brainwashing mechanisms. As such, if my hypothesis is correct, humans evolved Confirmation Bias in order to block out information that contradicted what they already believed. Without confirmation bias, one could easily determine another's political views by playing MSNBC. A republican without confirmation bias wouldn't agree with the news channel's opinions, but they wouldn't feel compelled to change the channel, either. Eventually, their political views would change. Confirmation Bias would cause that person to change the channel back to Fox News, which would then reaffirm their beliefs, allowing them to be protected by their own echo box.
"Any campaign world where an orc samurai can leap off a landcruiser to fight a herd of Bulbasaurs will always have my vote of confidence"
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
The filidh that cam frae Skye
A note: Phillip Pullman himself is an agnostic, but the antireligious (or at least anti-religion-when-its-used-to-oppress) themes are still present in His Dark Materials, so I think "secularism" would be better than "atheism" in this context. Changed.
Edited by SantosLHalper Halper's Law: as the length of an online discussion of minority groups increases, the probability of "SJW" or variations being used = 1. Hide / Show Replies
Pullman hasn't identified himself as an Agnostic either, from what I have seen. There is an article here
which says he's explicitly avoiding labeling himself no matter what the label is.
Wikipedia categorizes him as an atheist, though they don't provide any sources for this.
Edited by TrevMUN
This definition seems to say.. "Preaching to the Choir: Any work that is rejected or applauded based on how it's message aligns with the viewer's opinions rather than the work's own merit."
I'd always assumed it was, "Preaching to the Choir: Any work attempting to convey a message which, intentionally or unintentionally, succeeds only in validating the opinions of those who already agree with it rather than changing the opinions of those who disagree."
Edited by Les
Re Other/Circular orbits: If a thing (like a planet) doesn't fall out of the sky, it must be supported by some kind of structure. A point stuck to a rotating structure can't possibly move in an ellipse, it has to move in a circle.
It's only when momentum becomes accepted—the idea that you don't need a structure to hold something against gravity—that you can start thinking about elliptical orbits without being laughed out of the academy.