Stories, fiction included, act as a kind of surrogate life. You can learn from them so seamlessly that you might believe you knew something—about ancient Greece, say—before having gleaned it from Mary Renault's novel The Last of the Wine. You'll also retain false information even if you didn't mean to. That seems like a liability: Philosophers have long concerned themselves with what they call "the paradox of fiction"—why would we find imagined stories emotionally arousing at all? The answer is that most of our mind does not even realize that fiction is fiction, so we react to it almost as though it were real.
At the same time, very young children "can rationally deal with the make-believe aspects of stories," distinguishing the actual, the possible, and the fantastical with sophistication, as Denis Dutton has written in The Art Instinct. "Not only does the artistic structure of stories speak to Darwinian sources: so does the intense pleasure taken in their universal themes of love, death, adventure, family conflict, justice, and overcoming adversity." That may help explain why, when stories are done well, we love them so much. Just as artificial sweeteners fool our minds into thinking we're eating sugar, stories—even weird ones like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland—take advantage of our natural tendency to want to learn about real people, and how to treat them.
Our brains can't help but believe.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @07:13AM (2 children)
There is a fundamental truth which the newsmakers could never understand: reality is created by deeds, not by words.
(Score: 2) by Rupert Pupnick on Tuesday September 24 2019, @12:46PM
But words often presage deeds.
(Score: 2) by Pino P on Wednesday September 25 2019, @02:51AM
Some words are themselves deeds, if "Speech act" on Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] is to be believed. Examples include "you're fired" and "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
(Score: 4, Interesting) by aristarchus on Tuesday September 24 2019, @07:54AM (13 children)
Actually, the reference is to S.L.A. Marshall's study, Men Against Fire [amazon.com], where Marshall pointed out that only 10% of combat troops actually fired upon the enemy. Most men do not want to kill. Only Republicans, mostly, and they only come out after dark, mostly.
The Black Mirror episode [wikipedia.org] is a bit more dark. But still interesting.
Of course, if you cannot tell friend from foe, why not just "frag the Lieutentant"? You may be asking. May be that your commanding officer is more an enemy than the poor smuck on the other side of the line. Militaries tend to discourage this sort of thinking, but it is valid, nonetheless. Soldiers, they are children, actually. Except under international law of armed combat and the international humantarian law. We are still coming for TMB, after what he did. He thinks we have no evidence, as does the Runaway1978. Runaway is safe, since his service is made up and imaginary, "stolen valor", but the Buzz: Thing about war crimes: no statute of limitations, we might catch you, as we did with Nazis, when you are eighty fucking years old. And: universal jurisdiction: any country can try you for war crimes, even if your native country does not do so. Careful where you travel to, if you ever worked for Blackwater, or served in the Mecernary for the Kingdom of Saud forces. You guys are so much more fucked that any vet of 'Nam ever was!
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @07:59AM (12 children)
Story Title: Most of the Mind Can’t Tell Fact from Fiction
Thank you for demonstrating that more clearly than TFS ever could. Give yourself an Oreo. A DoubleStuf even. You deserve it!
(Score: 3, Funny) by aristarchus on Tuesday September 24 2019, @08:06AM (11 children)
Did not even read TFS, I take it? Why should philosophers concern themselves with ACs who cannot even be bothered to read the summary? I demote you, AC, I smite you in your AC parts where it hurts the most. Your comment contributes nothing, so by the criteria of both the Magistrate Janrinok, and the CodeMonkey TMB, you have committed a spam violation. Please place your hands in the yellow circles, and follow all instructions by security forces. And, Have a Nice Day!
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @08:15AM (2 children)
Wow, if you keep this up you'll earn yourself a whole *box* of Oreos!
Good show!
(Score: 2, Interesting) by aristarchus on Tuesday September 24 2019, @09:02AM (1 child)
Not before another AC bites the dust. What is your name, AC? What Unit did you serve with? What were the dates of your deployment? You see, actual vets can ferret out "stolen valor" guys (and gals) like Runaway1956 with only a few questions. You willing to go up against that, the collective knowledge of all Solentil Veterans? Possibly including janrinok? Back down now, to save your face. Otherwise, we may have blow it off you. And if you are at all acquainted with war in the age of the Internets, you know of which I refer to. If not, a whole box of "inside-out Oreos" are what you become. Until we can ship your ass to your ancestral homeland of Alsace-Lorraine, where you are either French, or German, but in any case not fricking white.
Maybe we need an actual group of Soylentil vets, not just Americans, of course. Che? Alguinaldo? Crazy Horse. John Kerry.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @10:49PM
What does reading fiction have to do with serving in the US armed forces?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 24 2019, @08:47AM (7 children)
The capacity of your brain to react with the same intensity to fact or fiction was given to you to** be able to empathize with your fellow primate telling you the story of his life, no matter if that fellow is named, nicknamed or just an AC; also irrespective if he offers you a story, just an Oreo or whole box of them, or some special pork American meat - all of them have stories behind.
So, magister, what have you done with your empathy?
---
** that and the propensity to fall for propaganda. Or to believe in God(s) or karma. Or to get a believable high from hallucinogens. Or to have something to kill with ethanol, like EF's memories of Mexican parents. But neither of those apply to you, so only the empathy purpose remains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday September 24 2019, @09:14AM (1 child)
Oh, my dear c0lo, do not be so hard on me! The fall term has just begun, so I have not only to deal with the mentally challenged on SoylentNews! But, of course, this is the main point, many here are entrapped in fantasias. Take khallow, please, for example. For many years we have been trying to edumacate him, to no avail. And the Runaway, who is an old dog who forgot how to lick his own. . . But you see, it is not a matter of empathy, on the larger scale. It is how these idiots can infect the larger populace, sort of like how Trump saying blatant lies and incoherent word-salad seems to validate Republican talking points, even though they are still completely insane.
So, in response, I have empathy for these idiots. I am sorry that they are so incapable of rational thought. But a part of their therapy is publicity. If only their attention span allowed them to realize that they are wrong. This is what makes me feel bad.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 24 2019, @11:44AM
Oh no-no-no-no-no. In spite of the respect and all the other positive feeling I have for you, magister, and no matter how much you'd plead for it, it's not gonna happen.
I could consider him; or use a long pole to prod him; at best, I might even deign to troll him.
But, for the life of me, I'm definitely not going to take him. Not for example nor for indeed anything else at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday September 24 2019, @02:11PM (4 children)
This is a good case study for the limitations of empathy. The AC remains a lazy asshole, even if we go through the effort of empathizing with him.
Unless those stories involve steely-eyed muscular men with white hats shooting other steely-eyed muscular men with black hats, it is a complete waste of my time. All these oreos are going to get these ubermen complaining about their figures - they'll have to do a huge set of squats and 6 miles around the track to work that off. You can empathize with that, right?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @11:11PM (3 children)
The story of your life, just wasted time.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 25 2019, @02:10AM (2 children)
If you don't know how to waste time, then you don't know how to live.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by aristarchus on Wednesday September 25 2019, @07:04AM (1 child)
Yeah, but wasting a whole life on the fiction of libertarian fantasy economic theory! Oh, what a waist! No, really, khallow: what a waist.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday September 28 2019, @03:23AM
Sounds like it's not my life that's getting wasted here. Good luck on that!
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday September 24 2019, @11:28AM
Artificial sweeteners don't fool me for long. After a few weeks, something in me realizes that the artificial sweetener isn't giving me the nutrition I want, and it simple stops tasting sweet at all. When this happens, sugar still tastes sweet.
There are some very complicated unconscious analysis and feedback processes operating.
-- hendrik
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday September 24 2019, @01:43PM (3 children)
Lawyers can take even the most fantastical fictions, and argue them, with a straight face, in a court of law.
Advertisers want you to believe the most fantastical fictions.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Tuesday September 24 2019, @01:44PM (2 children)
And then, there are Politicians.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday September 24 2019, @02:50PM (1 child)
Is it still a lie if you've studiously avoided learning the truth?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday September 24 2019, @05:28PM
Telling an untruth, with intent to deceive. I would say, yes, that is a lie. No matter how accomplished.
The politician is telling an untruth. Knowingly. Willfully. And with the deliberate intent to deceive. Just avoiding hearing the truth and putting your fingers in your ears doesn't change that.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by Rupert Pupnick on Tuesday September 24 2019, @02:59PM
Your brain is a belief engine. It uses its cumulative belief system to make predictions and decisions about the future.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @10:05PM
SN conservatives who pretend Trump is OK