Alintelbot@aol.com wrote:
>
> Jacques Vallee calls this the "ratchet effect." Once "converted" to a
> specific way of viewing the world, a person will cling to this viewpoint even
> when faced with overwhelming evidence that he or she is wrong. This is the
> glitch that allows conspiracy mongers to perpetuate wild tales--and,
> simalarly, allows their great appeal in our society.
>
> Mac Tonnies
-- sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky http://pobox.com/~sentience/tmol-faq/meaningoflife.html Running on BeOS Typing in Dvorak Programming with Patterns Voting for Libertarians Heading for Singularity There Is A Better Way