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Do beliefs inform behaviour?

Started by Tank, March 22, 2012, 09:13:45 PM

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Sandra Craft

Quote from: ThinkAnarchy on March 23, 2012, 07:25:20 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2012, 07:21:47 PM
Quote from: Twentythree on March 23, 2012, 06:11:36 PM
believing is behaving.

Where does hypocrisy fit into this? Unless the beliefs themselves are hypocritical, for instance, "I believe in applying the Golden Rule, unless it involves me as the victim".

Perhaps hypocrisy or exceptions could be an indication of not really believing.

That would be my guess.  People can say they believe this or that, and truly think they believe it until they're challenged by some hard-core reality (a good example being the abortion clinic protestor who gets an abortion when an unwanted pregnancy comes her way).  I think what we truly believe is shown in our behavior.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on March 24, 2012, 07:47:22 PM
Quote from: ThinkAnarchy on March 23, 2012, 07:25:20 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2012, 07:21:47 PM
Quote from: Twentythree on March 23, 2012, 06:11:36 PM
believing is behaving.

Where does hypocrisy fit into this? Unless the beliefs themselves are hypocritical, for instance, "I believe in applying the Golden Rule, unless it involves me as the victim".

Perhaps hypocrisy or exceptions could be an indication of not really believing.

That would be my guess.  People can say they believe this or that, and truly think they believe it until they're challenged by some hard-core reality (a good example being the abortion clinic protestor who gets an abortion when an unwanted pregnancy comes her way).  I think what we truly believe is shown in our behavior.

Good insights :) I didn't actually consider that they didn't actually believe (but just rather like to think they do) until a reality smacks them hard in the face.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Melmoth

Quote from: TankIt got me thinking that which came first, the belief of the behaviour? If one's beliefs, or world view if you prefer, don't cause one's behaviour what does?

Your circumstances, perhaps. I imagine the chain of cause and effect in reverse. Your beliefs come about from looking at where you have been and what you have done, to make sense out of it all, just as much if not more than from looking at where you're going and how you should behave when you get there.

so rather than being simply
your beliefs -> effect your behaviour -> affects you circumstances.
it's just as much a case of
your circumstances -> effect your behaviour -> effects your beliefs.

So there's a sort of feedback loop going on. If one thing changes in the loop, then so does everything else. However the most dominant factor in this case would be circumstance, since it can only be affected, to varying and unpredictable degrees, not only by your behaviour but also everyone else's around you, random chance, the weather etc. Even your death is only going to affect the outside world in a small and temporary way. Your beliefs and behaviour, on the other hand, cannot exist independently of circumstance or of each other. So ultimately external circumstance drives you, your behaviours and your beliefs.
"That life has no meaning is a reason to live - moreover, the only one." - Emil Cioran.

Ali

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on March 24, 2012, 07:47:22 PM
Quote from: ThinkAnarchy on March 23, 2012, 07:25:20 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2012, 07:21:47 PM
Quote from: Twentythree on March 23, 2012, 06:11:36 PM
believing is behaving.

Where does hypocrisy fit into this? Unless the beliefs themselves are hypocritical, for instance, "I believe in applying the Golden Rule, unless it involves me as the victim".

Perhaps hypocrisy or exceptions could be an indication of not really believing.

That would be my guess.  People can say they believe this or that, and truly think they believe it until they're challenged by some hard-core reality (a good example being the abortion clinic protestor who gets an abortion when an unwanted pregnancy comes her way).  I think what we truly believe is shown in our behavior.

I don't know that I agree with this.  I can think of instances in my own life where I knew what the "right" thing to do was, but I still did the "wrong" thing, not because I secretly doubted the "rightness" but because the wrong thing was easier.

For example, I believe in honesty, and think that honesty is almost always the right thing.  The times where I have been dishonest aren't typically times where I secretly doubted that honesty was the correct thing to do, but more times where I knew that honesty was going to land me in a situation that I didn't want to deal with.  Not a "right" reason to avoid honesty, just a practical (if somewhat cowardly) one.

Hector Valdez

In a word: Yes. Beliefs inform and guide behavior. The chain goes something like this:

Perception molds thoughts.
Thoughts mold belief.
Belief molds behavior.
Behaviors generate new perceptions.