More Morons are Needed
"Much learning does not teach understanding." Heraclitus
"Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices." Voltaire
"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." Steven Weinberg
Since we were terrible twos we are bombarded by assertions, suggestions, and instructions, some silly or ridiculous, some inconsequential or detrimental. Our genes, personal experience, parents, peers, teachers, leaders, social norms, laws, and media, all contribute in shaping our reaction towards ideas.
---- "Santa Claus is coming to town"
---- "I am so lucky!"
Now you are sleeping by the chimney, and you are rewarded for believing this lie.
This is one of the many examples of how you are innocently introduced to "white"- lies and will lead to your addiction to lies of any color and size. Your early training in swallowing claims without critical thinking may handicap your innate capability in detecting certain lies in your adult life.
---- "Watch out! Your loved one might be fooling around."
---- "I trust my horoscope and psychic. It is time to investigate this one too."
Your friend cannot stand your paranoid interrogations and dumps you. Your psychic was right, again.
---- "My late father, Nigeria's former minister of treasury, amassed $23 million dollars and now I need your assistance to transfer that money out of my troubled country. You will get one third of the money for your assistance. Truly yours."
---- "Wow, finally, I am going to get rich while helping someone in Africa. This is a real Santa."
You lose all your savings, your retirement pension, and the rest of your mind, if you had any.
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www.yuksel.org
EDIP YUKSEL, J.D. is a progressive American-Turkish-Kurdish author/philosopher/lawyer/activist (too many hyphens and slashes, I know). His recent English books "Quran: a Reformist Translation", and "Manifesto for Islamic Reform" are available at (
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