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If someone gave you compelling evidence to alter/ add to your beliefs system, would you reconsider it?
| Yes, that happens to me all the time | 9 | |
| Only if the evidence is very, very compelling | 29 | |
| This has happened before and I did not change, so probably not | 2 | |
| Only if the evidence is scientific, not logical | 9 | |
| When God allows himself to be captured on video, I'll effing believe | 6 | |
| No, I am 110% confident in my beliefs | 9 |
Really though, no one ever believes in anything because its logical; never once has cold logic ever impassioned someone to change their views.
If someone believes in something it's ultimately because they like the idea of it.
I call it development, not change. To allow others to add breadth to your worldview is a fantastic thing, but to substitute your thoughts under the persuasion of another means you're not really thinking at all. All knowledge is a particular shade of grey. If you're absolutely confident in anything, you're bullshitting yourself.
To elaborate: the strange irony is that despite being very malleable, unclear creatures, we're so assertive in thinking that our personalities are concrete. We're just so sure that "me" means something, despite making no effort to hide the fact that we change from place to place, time to time, and situation to situation. We are multiplicities and we have multiple roles. I'll just point out that the term "person" derives from the Latin word "persona", meaning mask. Deadly accurate.
Despite this, and though we all change all the time, it's difficult to see when we're experiencing the thread from second to second. And so we scramble to protect our own sense of substance by shouting over our own insecurities and others' equally insecure assertions. Look up "list of cognitive biases" on wikipedia, it's pretty jaw-dropping.
That said, I don't pretend to be exempt from any of this, just aware of it. But self-awareness can't cure the human condition.
"Only if the evidence is scientific, not logical." That doesn't make sense to me, and seems to duplicate "Only if the evidence is very, very compelling."
Anyway, I can and do change my position and/or beliefs when I am shown/encounter evidence, documentation, proof, or some other form of compelling reason to change. It is, afterall, the reason I stopped eating animals - I saw incontrovertible evidence that doing so was unethical and morally indefensible, so I changed my positions and the way I lived my life (and have never regretted it, either).
Changing in response to sound evidence just seems the adult thing to do.
I'll probably never change my view on the world because it's pure, unadulterated and rational logic based upon what we know and I doubt any religion will be able to bring forth substantial evidence for anything whatsoever.
I can change my belief system and have before. I know, though, that I'm quite susceptible to believe things because I like the idea (as Valkeer pointed out).
I'm a sort of fanciful person and that can sometimes cloud my judgement.
If something has more evidence and/or sounds more logical than my current belief I'll change.
Here is how I went about it. I was baptist->muslim->roman catholic. At this stage of my life I wouldn't change it for ANYTHING, because I am 110% sure that God has led me down a path he led me to be a muslim to truly shake me to my core and help me understand that you have to have an open mind. At the first part of my life I would say I had no doubts about my faith and if there were any faiths I would convert to it would definetly not be Islam or Catholicism.
I find this common theme running through my life that I become the thing I hate or dislike. Whether it be music, interests, and most importantly religion. I am truly blessed with the faith I have now and though I may question a few parts I know God will reveal himself and help me fully understand what I must in good time.
This has happened to me, but it was a very slow process and it took years to truly get rid of my old beliefs completely. Best decision I ever made though for sure.
Would you ever *change* your belief system?
& as for your question, I like to say "there's always room for improvement". If convincing enough & backed up by facts, YES.
Of course. If it was powerful enough. I don't think anything conceivable could be powerful enough, but I won't write it off as a possibility, that would be stubborn.
If there are really good facts and it really convinces my I would even believe that there is a god!
Oh, you meant belief as in religious belief etc. I wasn't aware that it's what you meant...