So, I'm normally not the person to post comics on public forums, but I think this one is quite worthwhile for the Warlight community. Please do with the information in it what you want. It's a few days old, so some of you may have seen it float around already.

First of all, a few words of warning:
* If you want to comment, it would be nice to read it all, with an open mind and don't stop halfway. But hey, you can of course.
* The author seems to write it from an America-centric, more liberal background. Sadly enough, this reduces the quality of the message for a more general audience. The comic likely has more value if you can look past that.
* The main concept described here likely doesn't work as trivially as the author explains. It's obviously OK to be critical about this in a reasonable way. However, there is sufficient scientific evidence that it's correct in at least some situations and part of broader series of related concepts. (see also: cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias among others for example)

I was doubting in which forum to post it. There is a clear link with strategy as well, and making the same or different choices in games based on previous experiences and belief. For those uninterested in political or social arguments, I'm pretty sure that is an interesting application as well.
Nevertheless, I think it's most relevant in Off-topic based on some of the discussions going on here. I fear some will (try to) derail the topic, as usual, but so be it.

A link to the original comic, which includes sources for the presented facts, can be found at the bottom.





























Link to the original, with sources: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe_clean

Edited 5/7/2017 15:06:32

>implying slave owners weren't heroes


Also this comic is perfect opportunity to expose the Holohoax lie.

Those comments so far...

As for the comic, it's nicely made. I don't know about the biology explanation with analyzing the brain, usually those studies tend to make a shitload of fuss about little to no actual evidence. However what I indeed have found true is that it's almost impossible to letting oneselves core believes getting challenged. As for myself I have found myself surprisingly blind to counter arguments in the past, not that I actively fought them off, I just didn't see the most obvious. Sometimes some short of real external shock has to happen for a reevaluation.

Regardless of whether the underlying mechanisms mentioned here are accurate, the overall effect is the same. Cognitive dissonance is a real issue for us all, and something we each need to take into account whenever we hear a new piece of information, whether we instinctively believe or disbelieve it.

Oh and btw, if you didn't go to the link to see the original, you can see that each fact presented is actually sourced by links in the numbers below them.

this thread got bookmarked on the same day it got posted. And that for the first time ever on the off-topic forum. I'm calling suspicious on that

reposting other peoples work to suggest your idea is new and unique is why it doesnt work. make your own post

I am very disappointed by this comic. It advocates an open mind, but yet is very US-Americacentric.
It only mentions US-Politicians and measures Napoleon in Imperial-units.

Edited 5/7/2017 18:35:28

Huh. This was really cool to read. Indeed very thought provoking. Thank you for that.

what kind of a doofus would use an Android? i thought those were only used in 3rd world countries where they need $20 phones.

The funniest part of it was that the part of it,that said that it from an evolutionary standpoint made sense, since that part made no sense what so ever

Honestly, I couldn't care less if George Washington had a slave's teeth. The important part is whether he killed the slave and took his teeth or whether he took teeth off of a dead or dieing slave. OR did somebody else already kill the slave and the teeth were going to be thrown away but George Washington decided not to be wasteful? Or did his parents make that decision for him? Did George Washington know he had slave's teeth?

More evidence is needed before I can make a moral judgement on the character of the USA's founder.

The only "fact" that I was insulted by was that the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a Socialist but I will cede that even greedy, power hungry, Socialists can have a few good ideas, if only by accident.

I disagree with anything which implies change is always good, which is very false. Change can be very bad in some cases, some ideas should be intensely rejected. Change can be good too, but it all depends on whats changing. Changing the right things makes the world better. Change the wrong things and it all falls apart.

this comic sums up well science vs belief. people could use with more critical thinking, too bad it's not practiced in schools much.

^ An intelligent, well-educated, productive populace is good for tax revenue. A politically active and attentive populace is dangerous.

Every idea must have some thought to make and some thought to take, eklipse. The best way to change your ideas though is if you do the reading yourself.

I am very disappointed by this comic. It advocates an open mind, but yet is very US-Americacentric.
It only mentions US-Politicians and measures Napoleon in Imperial-units.

Of course.

This comic does not advocate critical thinking. It advocates listening to opposing opinions and then accepting them as facts.

So instead of calling Tabby a racist for his racist views, I'm supposed to listen to his racist views, believe them, and then become a racist myself.

Racism is positive in most contexts

Oh really? Cool. I'm going to just accept that as fact and believe it now, because that's what this comic says I should do.



Racism is good!

Edited 5/7/2017 22:17:37

Wally intentionally misinterprets the comic just to be a dick