MOST PEOPLE cling to their belief in fiction
— that is to say things which may be suppositions or
direct lies, or myths, or things for which realistic substantiation has not been provided
—far more passionately than they cling to their belief in "truth"; that is,
fact-based or evidentially-based realities. Partly this is
because belief in things which have been accepted as "fact" can be modified by
the production of newer facts, without affecting the ego, or sense of self-worth of the
individual. Beliefs which are based on faith alone, and which
accord with some sense of correctness within the individual’s own logic system (but
which are not necessarily rooted in facts or evidence), are cleaved close to the breast. That is because, in order to have faith and to believe based merely on a
command to believe a given thing involves committing one’s sense of identity. To
doubt one’s beliefs casts doubt on one’s sense of identity, and identity is the key to self-esteem and survival.
Once a target audience believes in something, based, say, on the
statement of a credible leader or leaders, backed by trusted institutions, it is difficult to dislodge that belief even though massive and
overwhelming evidence is produced. And when a leader,
supported by various institutions, creates belief based on a direct lie in a confused
situation, where refutative evidence is difficult to produce
(or cannot be heard in the clutter of blood-lust and zeal),
