BELIEF PART 2

Brain scientists, medical doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists cannot tell us how the brain works. They cannot tell us why humans believe what they believe without evidence, in spite of contrary evidence, and after repeated failure of beliefs to coincide with reality.

It may be that the brain makes physical connections that "wire" the brain so that to some extent it works like a computer and can only do what it is wired to do. New wiring occurs from life experience in the existing culture. If the culture is erroneous, the wiring will be erroneous.(1) If that attribute of the brain is true, it would help explain the difficulty of unlearning a belief. Whether true or not, there is no question about the ability of a human to learn contradictory new things when necessary conscious effort is made to do so.

When a human experiences something that contradicts previously established beliefs, a mental condition of cognitive dissonance arises that is uncomfortable. The discomfort apparently arises when brain chemistry is altered.

When some of the brain chemicals generally called endorphins were isolated and injected into rats, the chemicals were found to be many times more addictive than morphine. This raises the question whether the phenomenon of addiction plays a role in belief. If so, it would also help explain the difficulty of unlearning a belief. Observing an addict attempting to withdraw from addictive drugs suggests great difficulty both physically and psychologically for the addict. However difficult, many addicts have recovered from their addiction. It is also possible for a human to transcend cognitive dissonance and learn contradictory new things. Conscious effort is a way to learn new things.

Some beliefs appear to arise from wishful thinking. A reason research was conducted into brain chemicals was the anesthetic effect reported by victims of serious injury, especially involving terror. (A survivor of a mountain lion attack reported he could hear his bones breaking but did not feel it.) The possibility of an endogenous anesthetic chemical excited the research. The wishful thinking was that an endogenous drug would be non-addictive. Dreams of billions to be gotten by marketing a non-addictive pain reliever and Nobel-itis pushed scientists, and chemicals were found. Testing showed the chemicals to be extremely addictive when injected as an exogenous drug. Faced with contrary evidence, the scientists gave up their wishful thinking as good scientists must do when faced with contrary evidence. A Nobel Prize was awarded, but billions could not be gotten from a non-addictive pain reliever.

Economics is a field that is dominated by beliefs. Beliefs that do not lend themselves to the simple to state general procedure, find the chemicals and test them, used by scientists in the case of brain chemicals and their possible use as pain relievers. Economics is a field that contains so many variables that economists resort to generalized theories that cannot be proven scientifically. Economists have no control over real events. They cannot test their theories in the real world. Economics is psuedo-science.

The psuedo-science or nescience of economics is like religion. The foundation of economics rests on dogma, doctrine, and faith. Dogma and doctrine preached by guru economists to the faithful. Dogma and doctrines that are based on doublethink and contradiction. For intellectual corruption, economists have no peers.

Economists have rented themselves in service to ruling classes whose practice is confiscation of maximum wealth and property. This practice of ruling classes goes on in every society without regard to nominative labels. The practice does not change whether the label is socialist, communist, capitalist, mercantilist, monarchy, theocracy, junta, or democracy.

To maximize their profit and security, ruling classes must exercise social control. Social control is easiest when controllees subscribe to the same belief systems as their controllers. Controllees are less likely to notice being controlled and rebel against their controllers. They may even blame themselves when they recognize that they are disadvantaged. If the belief system fails, the ruling class is prepared to wield all necessary force through the mechanism of the state and its police and armies. CONTROL OF SOCIETIES AND ECONOMIES

A major mechanism that transfers unearned wealth and maintains social and political control in modern society is money—the power to issue money. This power is given to banks in nearly every country of the world. Banks issue money as interest bearing debt. They also determine how much money is issued.

Economists provide a major service to rulers by initiating economic theory that protects the interests of rulers. These theories are sometimes promoted as economic "laws." Journalists join economists in repeating the theories until they infect human minds like a virus or meme being passed from one mind to the other.(2) The theories become controlling beliefs and part of social culture. These theories keep the wealth flowing away from producers to non-producers.

1. A general theory among some brain scientists is that the structure of the brain is genetically determined, and learning is a process of using certain neural pathways to effect memory. But there are unproven arguments for all sorts of theories. No one, presently, knows how the brain works. return

2. The brain is an energy intense organ. An extant theory is that due to its structure, there is a tendency for the brain to accept the most parsimonious route to interpretation of sensual inputs. Jumping to conclusions on little or no valid information or accepting the interpretations of experts, gurus, and authorities is to be expected. return