It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.
Mark Twain (disputed)
Beware of false beliefs. Just because you strongly believe that something is so, does not necessarily mean that it is.
For example, if you believe that a close friend is honest, but he or she isn’t, you can end up being deceived and taken advantage of. Or if you believe you know how to get somewhere, but you are mistaken, you could end up getting quite lost.
False beliefs can get you into a lot of trouble. They can lead you into making poor choices, and sometimes even into physical danger. They can also result in your becoming swept up into destructive social movements.
Choose what you believe in, but don’t be fooled by the assumption that just because you believe it, that will make it so. Beliefs should remain open to review and evaluation by standards of truthfulness and by an attitude of open mindedness to updating, revising, or changing your beliefs when the situation calls for it.
Getting Personal
Have you ever discovered that you had a false belief, and then as a result changed your belief? Can you give an example?
Have you ever resisted acknowledging that you may have had a false belief, resulting in your maintaining that belief, even in the face of evidence to the contrary? Can you give an example?
“Never underestimate the difficulty of changing false beliefs by facts.” (Henry Rosovsky, American historian)
“You are wrong. You are profoundly and disturbingly wrong about a spectacularly large number of things. You accept facts that are not facts, values that are incompatible with each other, and a fair number of truly dumb ideas about how to change the world. If you ever really understood the extent of your wrongness, you would never trust another word you said.” (Michael Austin, American author)
Sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield. (George Orwell, English novelist)
Some Social and Psychological Sources of False Beliefs
