In sum, I agree, but one small issue I take is when you argue that someone acts contrary to their learning it demonstrates that they don’t really understand it. I’m sure this is often the case, but sometimes it’s a matter of akrasia: the person knows what they should do and why, even deep down inside, yet finds themselves unable to do it.
Humans suffer heavily from their biases. I recall at in middle school I came to the conclusion that no deities existed, yet it took me a long while to act on it because of social pressures, so I continued to behave contrary to my beliefs out of fear. It was only later in life that I gained the self-confidence and bravery to act upon my beliefs, no matter how contrary to the social norm.
You might say that I didn’t really understand and that if I did I would have acted differently, but I find this contrary to my own experience, and this is only one such example. The human brain is a mine field, and even when we understand, we may still fail to act correctly.
Depending on the circumstances and your priorities, pretending to have religious beliefs might have been the most rational thing to do (not knowing either, I don’t know if that’s true of course).
In sum, I agree, but one small issue I take is when you argue that someone acts contrary to their learning it demonstrates that they don’t really understand it. I’m sure this is often the case, but sometimes it’s a matter of akrasia: the person knows what they should do and why, even deep down inside, yet finds themselves unable to do it.
Humans suffer heavily from their biases. I recall at in middle school I came to the conclusion that no deities existed, yet it took me a long while to act on it because of social pressures, so I continued to behave contrary to my beliefs out of fear. It was only later in life that I gained the self-confidence and bravery to act upon my beliefs, no matter how contrary to the social norm.
You might say that I didn’t really understand and that if I did I would have acted differently, but I find this contrary to my own experience, and this is only one such example. The human brain is a mine field, and even when we understand, we may still fail to act correctly.
Depending on the circumstances and your priorities, pretending to have religious beliefs might have been the most rational thing to do (not knowing either, I don’t know if that’s true of course).