posted
I’d probably put it on for £10, but I’d want to take a shower pretty soon afterward. I think my skin would crawl until I did. The weird part is, I think that even after finding out that the experimenter had lied and the sweater didn’t belong to a serial killer I’d still want to take the shower.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Interesting article. However, I'm quite a religious person, yet I wouldn't have a problem putting the sweater on. This seems to run a little counter to what he is implying- that my religious beliefs are the result of a hardwired predisposition to be superstitious.
However, what he said about children was spot on for me. I used to treat my toys very carefully as if they really did have feelings and cared how they were treated.
Posts: 1412 | Registered: Oct 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:This seems to run a little counter to what he is implying- that my religious beliefs are the result of a hardwired predisposition to be superstitious.
I did not get that implication from the article at all.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by BaoQingTian: Interesting article. However, I'm quite a religious person, yet I wouldn't have a problem putting the sweater on. This seems to run a little counter to what he is implying- that my religious beliefs are the result of a hardwired predisposition to be superstitious.
However, what he said about children was spot on for me. I used to treat my toys very carefully as if they really did have feelings and cared how they were treated.
LOL Bao, I thought I was the only one. I never thought my toys were living entitities (though my dad had me convinced for a long time that toys simply came to life once the people left the room).
I tried to be careful with my toys though, I didnt want to hurt them by accident.
I would wear the sweater for 10 pounds, thats almost $20 US. People buy used clothing all the time and never once think, "I wonder, who used to own this?" I have no belief that some sort of essence is retained in the clothing.
I wonder if the man doing the experiment REALLY assured the people it had been washed enough that any remnant of the serial killer was gone. I imagine if you walked up and didnt hear the part about it being washed you might think its dirty. I dunno.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't think I could do it. Even if it were washed, and I knew it was completely clean, I couldn't do it.
I guess part of me is superstitious. I do wear used clothing, after I thoroughly clean it, but the anonymity of the previous owner keeps me blissfully unaware of what type of person she was, I guess.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I didn't get that implication either BQT. I think he was dealing with phenomena way too primitive and basic to our makeup as people to even approach any kind of criticism about specific levels of religiousity.
I also think that his findings apply across the board regardless of one's rationally chosen philosophy. It's the type of "superstition" that makes one avert one's eyes from a house where a terrible tragedy occurred or wear one's "lucky shirt" to a card game. It's the impetus to "supernaturalize" the mundane and doesn't speak to the truthfulness or lack thereof of any specific religion, though it may provide insights into why religion itself is so pervasive.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Sorry if I got the wrong message across Karl. I don't think he is criticizing religions at all.
quote:"We are hard-wired to make sense of the world, and that includes both rational and irrational assumptions."
This hard-wiring, which leads us to find an explanation for everything, may explain why superstitious beliefs and even religions develop.
"I don't think it's a case that our belief in the supernatural is given to us by religions. We intuitively think that these [supernatural] things are real, and religions just give us the context," he says.
dkw, This was the part of the article that I responded to in my earlier post.
Edit: It can of course be taken in ways other than I took it.
posted
but what if Snake's hair worked its insidious tendrils into my brain and made me go around committing murder too? Oh wait, wrong context =p
Posts: 1038 | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged |
The house was sold shortly after the 9investigation was concluded, and people live there now.
I could wear the sweater, but I couldn't live in the house.
BTW, I took my kids trick or treating there while the Francois family lived there, but no one answered the door.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
