In a fundamental sense, everyone does. But most people don’t think of themselves as operating that way. They deny that instinct in themselves. They believe in objectivity and a real world. That’s why so many arguments about religion focus on the question “are the gods real?”, rather than “is religious thinking good or bad for us?” There’s plenty of debate to be had about the utility of religion. Prayer healing works through the placebo effect. Religion is a part of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. And on the other side, people argue that dogmatic thinking leads to oppression and atrocities. But most arguments about religion don’t go along those lines of utility. What most people care about is reality and objective truth.
Were the rest of you… not already choosing what to believe based on the utility of those beliefs? It seems so fundamental to self-awareness.
In a fundamental sense, everyone does. But most people don’t think of themselves as operating that way. They deny that instinct in themselves. They believe in objectivity and a real world. That’s why so many arguments about religion focus on the question “are the gods real?”, rather than “is religious thinking good or bad for us?” There’s plenty of debate to be had about the utility of religion. Prayer healing works through the placebo effect. Religion is a part of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. And on the other side, people argue that dogmatic thinking leads to oppression and atrocities. But most arguments about religion don’t go along those lines of utility. What most people care about is reality and objective truth.