On the other hand, social conditioning does work. You can have societies where 98% of people believe in the same religion, and multiple societies who believe they are objectively the best, and so on. Social conditioning is the the thing that’s implemented by anthem-singing, flag waving, public prayer, rallies, marches and parades, and a host of other than things that are seen as perfectly normal … unlike the weird stuff cults get up to.
Brainwashing is a special or intensified form of conditioning … so why wouldn’t it work, when social conditioning generally does? One of the pieces of evidence against brainwashing is that US soldiers who had been “brainwashed” after being captured by communists reverted when they returned to the US. That could. be seen as brainwashing lacking a particular feature, the ability to lock-in permanently. It could also be seen as a success of the kind of social conditioning that’s unnoticed and in the water. Attempted cult brainwashing into minority beliefs has the Achille’s heal of attempting to instill minority beliefs, despite the fact that people generally want to fit in with majority beliefs. Cults try to get round this by separating their subjects from wider society, which doesn’t entirely work , because they need to proselytize. On the other hand, small religions are large cults, and they work just fine.
Depending on how you define it, brainwashing is ubiquitous, non existent , or underwhelming effective.
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On the other hand, social conditioning does work. You can have societies where 98% of people believe in the same religion, and multiple societies who believe they are objectively the best, and so on. Social conditioning is the the thing that’s implemented by anthem-singing, flag waving, public prayer, rallies, marches and parades, and a host of other than things that are seen as perfectly normal … unlike the weird stuff cults get up to.
Brainwashing is a special or intensified form of conditioning … so why wouldn’t it work, when social conditioning generally does? One of the pieces of evidence against brainwashing is that US soldiers who had been “brainwashed” after being captured by communists reverted when they returned to the US. That could. be seen as brainwashing lacking a particular feature, the ability to lock-in permanently. It could also be seen as a success of the kind of social conditioning that’s unnoticed and in the water. Attempted cult brainwashing into minority beliefs has the Achille’s heal of attempting to instill minority beliefs, despite the fact that people generally want to fit in with majority beliefs. Cults try to get round this by separating their subjects from wider society, which doesn’t entirely work , because they need to proselytize. On the other hand, small religions are large cults, and they work just fine.
Depending on how you define it, brainwashing is ubiquitous, non existent , or underwhelming effective. ,