corboy,
Thanks for all of this.
I am thinking of what Margaret Singer observed, i.e. cults can form, be formed around just about any topic/focus, I believe she described equine worship as an example.
But, best, I think, when the topic has some 'universal' resonance. We all hate violence, don't we,...Wish we could live in a world w/o violence, don't we?
And, these focuses place skeptics in a double-bind in so far as if we express ANY level of concern about the means of attaining a desired result, we are perceived as questioning the desirability of the result. This is core to the mind-f'ery, and, probably, the critical component of it.
Express 'doubt' and this is perceived as the equivalent of feeding warm, cuddly puppies into a wood chipper, IMHE.
Thanks for all of this.
I am thinking of what Margaret Singer observed, i.e. cults can form, be formed around just about any topic/focus, I believe she described equine worship as an example.
But, best, I think, when the topic has some 'universal' resonance. We all hate violence, don't we,...Wish we could live in a world w/o violence, don't we?
And, these focuses place skeptics in a double-bind in so far as if we express ANY level of concern about the means of attaining a desired result, we are perceived as questioning the desirability of the result. This is core to the mind-f'ery, and, probably, the critical component of it.
Express 'doubt' and this is perceived as the equivalent of feeding warm, cuddly puppies into a wood chipper, IMHE.