Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian being held on terrorist charges, has been reported to have a Twitter account with only one tweet: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100000 who have only interests." This has been reported as an adaptation of a quote from the 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill: "One person with a belief is a social power equal to ninety-nine who have only interests."
This sentiment plays into something I've mentioned many times before--belief itself is a problem for humanity. While these quotes are meant to show belief as a virtue, in reality beliefs are way too often the cause of human conflict and general strife. If Breivik acted as he did because he had a strong belief--justifying his actions in his own mind--it goes to show how virtue and belief don't deserve to be attached, not the other way around.
When someone adopts a belief, it is a conclusion. The person has stopped thinking and considering in favor of a mind that's quit doing so. When that happens, the belief becomes a part of that person's self, just as much as a physical body part. If that person then experiences an attack on the belief, the self is determined to be under attack, no different that someone swinging a baseball bat at that person's head. A person will instinctively react in self-defense. And, like is often the case in a physical attack, the actions taken in self-defense can be wild and uncontrolled, even illogical.
For those who are tempted to see this is just a "bad apple" and ignore the ramifications of someone using a mindset that accepts beliefs as part of the self, please re-think that idea. We all should be working against the instinct to believe and, as a much better alternative, think instead. It's a valid way to keep the door open and will not easily allow attacks to be taken so personally as to lash out at who-knows-what.
This sentiment plays into something I've mentioned many times before--belief itself is a problem for humanity. While these quotes are meant to show belief as a virtue, in reality beliefs are way too often the cause of human conflict and general strife. If Breivik acted as he did because he had a strong belief--justifying his actions in his own mind--it goes to show how virtue and belief don't deserve to be attached, not the other way around.
When someone adopts a belief, it is a conclusion. The person has stopped thinking and considering in favor of a mind that's quit doing so. When that happens, the belief becomes a part of that person's self, just as much as a physical body part. If that person then experiences an attack on the belief, the self is determined to be under attack, no different that someone swinging a baseball bat at that person's head. A person will instinctively react in self-defense. And, like is often the case in a physical attack, the actions taken in self-defense can be wild and uncontrolled, even illogical.
For those who are tempted to see this is just a "bad apple" and ignore the ramifications of someone using a mindset that accepts beliefs as part of the self, please re-think that idea. We all should be working against the instinct to believe and, as a much better alternative, think instead. It's a valid way to keep the door open and will not easily allow attacks to be taken so personally as to lash out at who-knows-what.
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