What's The Harm In Redusing to Go Along With Anybody Else?

[Eyeron]

Is there any harm in refusing to believe what the majority of people believe and going your own way for the sole reason of "I just don't want to believe what everybody else says?"

Here's a couple of examples of the kind of thing I mean:

People who refuse to believe in Global Warming despite that there's thousands of climatologists and other scientists who support it based on the data they've collected over the years.

The atheist who can't believe in the Christian God despite millions of Christians who say he should believe just because they say so.

I do realize that doing these kinds of things tends to turn people into social pariahs and outcasts. But is there any other real harm in not going with the larger group?

[Hux]

That's the argument from numbers and has nothing to do with the truth of the matter. What does it matter if 3.3 billion people believe something that is not true? Just have an understanding of the things you can show evidence for.

There might be physical harm in being individual. Standing up in a Mosque and declaring Allah is a pussy is not going to win you friends, no matter how true your statement may or may not be. There is a time and place.

[Gagglegnash]

Hi

Refusing to go along with the majority simply for the sake of not going along with the majority gets you a reputation for being a curmudgeon and a jerk.

Refusing to go along with the majority because you have a carefully considered and well thought-out alternative position will get you imprisoned or crucified.

On the other hand, along with being imprisoned or crucified, you have a chance to change the world.

Choose wisely.

[Foster Zygote]

Is there any harm in refusing to believe what the majority of people believe and going your own way for the sole reason of "I just don't want to believe what everybody else says?"

Here's a couple of examples of the kind of thing I mean:

People who refuse to believe in Global Warming despite that there's thousands of climatologists and other scientists who support it based on the data they've collected over the years.

The atheist who can't believe in the Christian God despite millions of Christians who say he should believe just because they say so.

I do realize that doing these kinds of things tends to turn people into social pariahs and outcasts. But is there any other real harm in not going with the larger group?

Those two scenarios are radically different.

In the former, the reason for accepting the position is that there is a great deal of carefully gathered evidence supporting it.

In the latter, the reason for accepting the position is because millions of people say so.

[Bob Klase]

Here's a couple of examples of the kind of thing I mean:

People who refuse to believe in Global Warming despite that there's thousands of climatologists and other scientists who support it based on the data they've collected over the years.

The atheist who can't believe in the Christian God despite millions of Christians who say he should believe just because they say so.

I do realize that doing these kinds of things tends to turn people into social pariahs and outcasts. But is there any other real harm in not going with the larger group?

Here's a couple of examples you could compare to your examples and what you believe:

People who refuse to believe in gravity despite that there's billions of scientists and non-scientists who support it based on the data they've collected over the years.

The Christian who can't believe in Mohammad and the Koran despite over a billion Muslems who say he should believe just because they say so.

[Whiplash]

Shouldn't the thread be called, "Is there any harm in being a maverick non-conformist?". I think that's what he's basically asking.

[Marquis de Carabas]

I do realize that doing these kinds of things tends to turn people into social pariahs and outcasts. But is there any other real harm in not going with the larger group?
The harm involved in not being part of the majority pretty much depends entirely upon what the specific majority in question likes to do to dissidents. There's no one answer to how harmful it is.

That said, if your refusal to go along is based upon nothing but a desire to not go along then you suffer the fate of allowing majorities to determine everything about your life. You are a mindless non-follower. However much harm you ascribe to the condition of not choosing anything for yourself must be added to the possible harms inflicted upon you by the group.

[Eyeron]

Sigh. Everybody's mindless these days.

[BenRayfield]

Eyeron said:
Is there any harm in refusing to believe what the majority of people believe and going your own way for the sole reason of "I just don't want to believe what everybody else says?"

Yes, there is "harm" in that. It reduces your intelligence.

On average, it is more accurate, to flip a coin and believe at random, than to believe or disbelieve something because you prefer to believe or disbelieve it. Self-deception happens in most people's minds more often than they are aware of.

Eyeron said:
Here's a couple of examples of the kind of thing I mean:

People who refuse to believe in Global Warming despite that there's thousands of climatologists and other scientists who support it based on the data they've collected over the years.

The atheist who can't believe in the Christian God despite millions of Christians who say he should believe just because they say so.

In some ways, not believing those people who say they have evidence, is reasonable, because most people assume too many things and guess and have faith about other things, which corrupts their minds so they can not calculate most things accurately. If some information is important to me, I will leave it as "I don't know" until I verify it.

[kuroyume0161]

Sigh. Everybody's mindless these days.

???
The atheist who can't believe in the Christian God despite millions of Christians who say he should believe just because they say so.

As already mentioned, argumentum ad populum (argument from popularity). Just because many people 'believe' something doesn't make it true. Show me irrefutable, scientific evidence for a so-called 'Christian God' and those millions of christians are justified. Otherwise, they are indoctrinated (the just-shy-of 100% case).

[Eyeron]

???

It was a joke inspired from the previous post. It reminded me that there is a lot of everybody calling everybody else things like sheeple (which is a variation on being called mindless) or Nazi or other similar insults simply for having different beliefs.

[kuroyume0161]

It was a joke inspired from the previous post. It reminded me that there is a lot of everybody calling everybody else things like sheeple (which is a variation on being called mindless) or Nazi or other similar insults simply for having different beliefs.

Ah, I just skimmed the responses so the context was lost. Best to quote when possible. :boggled::)