Why do people believe without facts?

Answer 1

Grounding beliefs on facts is (in fact) only one way of reasoning. A factual basis for a belief is to consider whether or not something exists. However, when we consider how we come to know these 'facts' we realize that often this is a lot less concrete and so factual than sometimes we imagine. How do we know that the world is round or spinning on its axle? This is general knowledge. However, we assume that certain factual investigations were done. Most people do not believe these on the basis of facts alone, but due to conventions and trust.

It is also the case that much that we attribute to facts, does not even have a solid basis in experience. When we talk about the different types of energy, for example, (such as kinetic, electro-magnetic), what is this thing called energy, ultimately? Well, we nor anybody else really knows, it is just a scientific label for certain types of phenomena that are visible. But what the underlying factual reality of those phenomena are is not actually known.

This points to another way of reasoning by which many beliefs are not grounded just on facts. This is reasoning from principles. When there is not enough observable facts to arrive at complete explanations for everything (which is more often the case then we realize), we have to instead deduce and infer what reasonably might be the case. This may or may not be conclusive. Nevertheless, it is the case that the whole of the discipline of mathematics is constructed on the basis of reasoned deductions and inferences without being based on observable facts.

People believe without facts because they feel comfortable with that new idea that hasn't yet showed facts. People like challenging those ideas, and try believing in things that are certain to be true. It is because of the risk they are taking in believing in something. It is because of faith (as the one below me has said).

It is much easier to fool the brain and to fall in unreason.

FAITH

BYE... DICKI 98... AGED 11

Another view:

Belief and facts belong in two different realms. Nobody believes the sun will rise tomorrow, we know it will. People believe things because it gives them permission to do the things they want to do, or prohibits them from doing the things they don't want to do. In which case, they will believe things that totally contradict self-evident facts, or search out the one tenuous fact that might support their view and ignore the rest.