Description
what might motivate people to maintain beliefs in the face of contradictory evidence?
Explanation & Answer
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What we call "contradictory evidence" assumes that it is absolute truth. This is often not the case. Often enough, it is simply evidence against an argument, which is very rarely going to persuade anyone to simply bail on their ideals.
There is an intellectual inertia to never abandon wholesale the ideals and traditions inherent to one's culture. In this way, people find it easier to incorporate contradictory evidence into their existing belief system. This creates a hybrid ideology. The best historical example is the Anglo Saxon acceptance of the Christ figure; a warrior culture did not abandon their own culture, but rather, they repurposed the Christ figure as a hero who endured suffering.
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