The Blog

2022-

2022-04-10 d
THE STATE OF THE DISUNION IV

New Religions at a Dangerous Crossroads

Letter to a fellow academic heretic.

[...] I’m more interested in those less willing to accept information, those we might call skeptics or who historically were called heretics for not accepting dominant beliefs. These days the word 'conspiracy theorist' gets bandied about as a pejorative with similar implications.

For those who are indoctrinated into a ‘cult’ for example, or who hold a set of beliefs that deviate from the vast majority of demographics within a social body we often put all those beliefs outside some established box filled with socially acceptable norms and hence the designation of ‘cult’ or ‘cult member’. This deviation from the social norms usually results in a social cost to pay for the individual and need not be limited simply to one’s beliefs.

Today we have all manner of new methods of being 'influenced' by information that mold our beliefs, whether technological or decentralized, or distributed. What perhaps they used to call the 'global village', we are interconnected through technology beyond our local influences. These are now the dominant sources of information distribution and consumption and are centrally controlled by ever-smaller concentrations of power. I have called these technologies ‘herding systems’, that seek to control, manipulate and funnel the masses in the same direction, reinforcing ideas and beliefs through a kind of digital hive mind.

It seems self-evident then that if one declares themselves not part of something, even if others point to what they claim is scientific evidence, they are denying the tenets of whatever it is that group of people believes and are a ‘non-believer’. The more significant those tenets are in shaping that group's world the stronger they adhere to them, and the more of an outsider the non-believer becomes. If it is their (the group) entire raison d'etre then the more of a threat that outsider becomes, especially if their views are ever expressed that challenge or expose that groups’ beliefs in a way that reveals them to be worthy of greater scrutiny.

It usually happens that sooner or later the non-believer will be challenged to justify their reasons for being so and if any undermine or challenge the beliefs of that group they become a kind of virus that has been introduced into this social body. This can also happen in the digital sphere when one finds themselves in an echo chamber of people reinforcing their established views and dares challenge them.

There exists what scientists consider a foundational body of knowledge that has emerged through the process of scientific discovery, but also what we personally consider truths or beliefs that don’t adhere to those rigorous standards. That foundational body of knowledge, however, which is molded and shaped by academia (often funded by outside sources with an agenda) has a tremendous influence on what informs personal beliefs.

What happens though if the dominant set of beliefs, whether globally or in a locality we might call the western world becomes the ‘cult’ even if rooted in scientific discovery that has been corrupted or flawed? It may never get that disparaging label of ‘cult’ even if the existence of cult-like attributes are present. (read more)

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