The basis of most beliefs is to follow socially encouraged behavior
What do polls generally talk about? The most straightforward answer is that they show what the people think about this or that issue. I have doubts about “thinking,” so you need some information. Most Britons could not have known the consequences of leaving the EU. Instead, they had some feelings about the pros and cons of the move. And the majority of voters “felt” that was a good thing. But with polls, it’s not even just “feeling” that’s the problem. Modern sociology says that poll takers are trying to predict, to guess, what the “right” answer will be, the answer that will describe them positively as citizens and human beings, the answer that will show them to be “on the right side.”
Thus, sociological surveys show the socially encouraged behavior, thinking, and belief of this or that group. They are naturally different for different groups. But there are ideas, about which members of these groups “guess” the same thing in terms of what the “right answer” will be. For example, RA citizens are asked: do you agree with Artsakh being a part of Azerbaijan? Ninety percent would answer “no,” although at least half of that 90 percent would be happy never to hear about Artsakh again (the proof: the parliamentary elections of 2021). But in their response to the survey, they indicate what they believe is socially desirable behavior.
It is an essential indicator of great importance for science, which answers people consider to be “correct.” But to say that “the people think” or “the people believe ” means manipulating the existing situation a little. Instead, the survey participants are trying to guess what answer is expected from them.
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The ideas that, in our perception, should characterize the “right person” are not always rational because we, as a rule, are not looking for the truth. Still, we strive to fit in, to adapt to the group whose collective opinion is important to us. That is why many people in Europe and America believe, for example, that the Earth is flat or that a group of Jews rules the world. Tens of thousands of people are guided not by facts or arguments but by the beliefs of their perceived group. For this reason, a comment is often written under the materials of opposition figures: “We know that you are an agent of Russia.”
How they know what evidence they have is entirely irrelevant. The key word here is “we.” That is, those who write such comments feel that they belong to a group where exposing “Russian agents” is “trendy,” and paranoia or espionage is given a “like.” That’s how it always was, naturally, centuries, millennia before social media reality.
The “proud Athenians” who accused Socrates of “perverting the youth” also got their “likes.” It’s just that now everything has become much more measurable, “countable.”
Now a question. Can you change the minds of people who believe the Earth is flat? Can you convince them by bringing the data of modern science? Of course, you can’t. They may say, “We believe only our eyes, and we do not see any ’roundness’ on this Earth.” And the hypothesis about the round Earth was invented by the Jews who rule the world.”
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
“Aravot” daily, 7.03.2023
