RESPONDENT: One thing that puzzled me though – I
could understand the objections to all the content (as I was going through all that), but why the respondents objected to the
style and coherent presentation and inquiry into the issues involved? why did they cop-out in between? of course the answer can be
found within me: the various beliefs and opinions one has is not interested in total and coherent inquiry; it is far, far
difficult to substantiate all the emotionally felt ‘truths’ etc. which are ‘previously acquired images/ideas that reflect
neither autonomous reasoning nor apperception’.
RICHARD: Yes ... the term ‘cognitive dissonance
’ would be better described as a ‘feeling-fed cognitive
dissonance’ as it is not just a mental blockage which causes people to be unable to grasp innovative things that are to their
own advantage and to fight so hard to retain the existing belief systems which are inimical to their welfare.
It is the strangest of incongruities in regards to human pertinacity that peoples will
invent reasons and struggle to maintain a state of affairs that is detrimental to their own advancement ... even those conditions
which enslave them.
*
RESPONDENT: ... sometimes I find that Richard does not
seem to be able to read between the lines in the way that I and others on the list can. I have considered that to be evidence of
his having lost an affective faculty – but it makes communication with him painfully difficult for me.
PETER: Have you noticed that a good many people come to this list expecting
their egos to be pampered to, wanting to have the usual wishy-washy superficial conversations about the human condition, wanting
to keep the conversation on a philosophical level, hoping to have their pet beliefs confirmed, wanting to keep their cards close
to their chest rather than lay them on the table or desperately wanting to prove Richard wrong presumably in order that they can
then dismiss actualism and continue on living their life as-it-is? And have you also noticed that so many leave in a huff when
their expectations are not met?
