I think it's weird that people even have beliefs. Belief is a dirty word to me.
this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2025
99 points (81.1% liked)
Showerthoughts
35783 readers
774 users here now
A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
Rules
- All posts must be showerthoughts
- The entire showerthought must be in the title
- No politics
- If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
- Posts must be original/unique
- Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS
If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.
Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
I'm inclined to agree. But I meditate and stuff.
I believe in science. I believe in justice, equality, and freedom. I believe fascism and capitalism is detrimental to humanity.
I do not believe in ghosts. I do not believe in gods, angels or demons. I don't believe in an afterlife. And I don't believe corporations are people.
load more comments
(7 replies)
Belief is a tool for achieving effects; it is not an end in itself. -Peter J. Carroll
load more comments
(17 replies)
Beliefs are important, beliefs are what gets us through life somewhat mentally sane.
Beliefs are (for example) the cornerstone of relationships, because you have to believe that your partner really loves you. There is no hard evidence for that so it can never be a fact, only a belief.
I believe that my neighbors don't plan to kill me in my sleep (why should they, I am a nice and easy neighbor), I believe that the person at the fast food corner doesn't spit on my food (and that they had washed hands after using the toilet), I believe that my landlord will some day repair the water damage in my second bathroom (and put all the bathroom stuff like sink, shower and toilet back in).
One could say that belief is behind everything where "trust" is involved. Belief is just accepting something as true, either because it is something that is a concept without hard facts (love, religion, justice, freedom, money, "the good in people") or it is something where the information are lacking either because they are not fully known yet or because it is such a complex topic that having all information is (nearly) impossible.
I believe for example that climate change is real, because I trust (there it is again) the science. I have to believe in this case because I can't have all the information without studying climate sciences, and one can argument that even our best climate scientists doesn't have all the information (models are still incomplete and simulations don't use all possible parameters) so even they have to believe for some parts.
Beliefs become problematic when people take them as hard facts, as dogmas, and become extreme.
I believe that taking extreme positions is always wrong and a way to disaster and suffering. That's one reason why I don't like faith and are against cults of any kinds.
Are you saying that beliefs are useful (necessary even) for navigating other beliefs?
For example, I believe that my neighbors wont kill me. I do that to stave off the belief that my neighbors will kill me.
The part with the neighbors was more or less only a joke. If i believe anything about them, then that they are good, honest and peacefull people. Because so far nothing happend to make be think otherwise.
The belief that the neighbors will kill someone (oneself for example) sounds more like a delusion... or a really bad neighborhood!
In both cases is a counter belief maybe not the best solution
But yes, i do think that beliefs can be helpful to counter inner urges and impulses. The belief in laws and punishment by law is an example for it.
And shared beliefs (for example faith and religion) acts like a glue for societies. The belief in eternal judgment by an all knowing god in combination with a holy law book (that is what most holy texts in their core are IMHO) helps to prevent chaos and ensures that people can work against a common and shared goal. As an example for the good and positive side of that.
It was just an example.
My point is the specific utility of beliefs. You seemed to be offering an interesting one.
Imagine a landscape made of beliefs. In it you are always standing on some bunch of beliefs. So choosing and navigating is going to be important. To get to the good beliefs and avoid the bad ones.
The landscape should also have some strong pillars and mountains of hard facts and factual truth. But besides that, yes it sounds like a good mind construct. Interesting idea for sure.
The more I think about it, the more I realise how less I understand this word.
Because as Terry Pratchett astutely notes in the Hogfather belief is what makes the human society possible. We invented justice, mercy, duty, laws, money etc. They exist only because we believe in them. Some beliefs make the world better, other ones worse, and we should try to emphasize the former and minimize the latter.
Ok. So there's benefit there as long as the believing is controlled.
Is there a general benefit or liability to believing? What do we gain and lose simply by believing, no matter what the belief?
Yeah, of course they do. They literally form the cornerstone of your worldview. If you change someone's beliefs, you change how they see the world. That sounds pretty damn big and important.
I wish I got to be as militant about my atheist beliefs as some nut jobs can be about their faith.
Not that I really want to, but must be nice sometimes just acting like everybody that doesn't think like me is wrong
Something about being careful what you wish for.
load more comments
(3 replies)
load more comments
(16 replies)
IMO "I don't know" is a perfectly valid opinion if you just don't know.
My dogma defines my in-group, and my in-group can’t be wrong because then that would mean that I am wrong, which I categorically can’t be. And even if I was wrong, then I would no longer be part of my in-group. Therefore, your science and logic and proof must be wrong if it contradicts my dogma.
load more comments
(6 replies)
They do indeed.
My parents are deeply religious, but have never figured out that it's my siblings and I who actually answer their prayers.
God sent you to them. It was their reward for rubbing their genitals together. Thank you heavenly Father!!
Beliefs lead to actions. Actions affect others. It's not super complicated.
load more comments
(1 replies)
I believe I'll block op
I always liked the line in Dogma about them, don't turn ideas into beliefs, you can change ideas easier than beliefs. Paraphrased and I understand how much it waters down the whole problem but I still thought the idea of it was nice. Listen and be open, you shouldn't always need to be rigid. Though mean there are still ideals I'm rigid about, respect, compassion and such. Though I always thought the idea was you thought about what worked best for everyone not just what people said you should do cause tradition.
Easily said. But the psychological power of authority is so big. Authorities in the role of leader, expert, and the authority of the consensus. It may very well be programmed into our biology to automatically obey and believe. We may find ourselves falling into rigid belief without even trying.
Read the book Sapiens.
Being able to believe in fiction is what allows humanity to function.
Eeeee, interesting. I'll check that out.
view more: next ›