[extropy-chat] Bush wants another $75 billion for wars

[Samantha Atkins]

On Oct 27, 2004, at 9:46 AM, Hal Finney wrote:

> Samantha Atkins writes:
>> I am out of belief that anyone has any good reason to keep this
>> monstrously incompetent moron in office.
>
> So how do you explain to yourself why about 50% of Americans do want
> to keep Bush in office?  Do you think they are all wicked people?
>

No, I think they are mostly good people who have been successfully 
misinformed.   This has happened many many times in history.

> How seriously do you consider the possibility that they might be right
> and you wrong?  Is that completely out of the question for you?
>

As I have worked pretty hard to understand what is going on, harder 
than most, I have very little doubt as to what is going on.  It casts a 
very very bad light on Bush.  So I discount that possibility almost 
totally.

But why hide behind the coattails of the masses?  If you have good 
arguments for Bush then lets hear them.  Tis the season.

> I am interested in understanding how people cling so hard to beliefs in
> the face of evidence of widespread disagreement, which would suggest
> that in fact the issues (in this case, which candidate would make a
> better president) are quite uncertain.
>

Simple.  They think and draw conclusions.   You must do the same.  How 
many agree or disagree is relevant for winning a popular but not 
relevant for your understanding and judgment.    Also, this little 
aside misses most of the real content of the piece quoted.  I find that 
interesting.

- s