Psychology is biology, too!

[dangerzooey]

I find it very strange that some people think that the psychosomatic response to the power of suggestion is caused by merely a belief. I heard on NPR recently of a study that was done in which some patients were given placebos and others were given pills containing chemicals that would neutralize the tested medication. What this test found was

Comments

[arriya]

Thanks! I love reading about cognitive biases. =) If only there were more time..

It took humanity 2000 years of written history to notice the rule of our experience that we automatically believe that the future will be like the past in some important respects, and that this assumption's justification is impossible (thanks, Hume!).

I was just reading that about... two minutes ago.

Inductive version: For any justified belief I have, do I believe it because it is justified or is it justified because I believe it?
Deductive version: For any true belief I have, do I believe it because it is true or is it true because I believe it?
Abductive version: Do I understand things because I expect them or do I expect them because I understand them?

What kind of cause are you thinking of, or what qualifies as a cause?

[dangerzooey]

What kind of cause are you thinking of, or what qualifies as a cause?

I think I'll stick with our ordinary sense of the word 'cause' (i.e., not Searle's). As to what that term denotes, I'm just as puzzled as you are. Maybe it just names an explanatory function across temporal states of affairs.

[tiresias2]

I agree with most of this. The psychology of belief formation has always been a central interest of mine. I've lately been taking the position stated by E.M. Forster, "I do not believe in belief" :-)

[dangerzooey]

What parts don't you agree with?