We believe what we already understand, not what is possible to understand

Researchers are using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to prove Spinoza’s speculation that we tend to believe what we know and disbelieve most new information.

This sounds reasonable on the surface, but totally crazy when you think about the path of human progress. Premature disbelief of what we do not understand gives undiscovered knowledge a serious handicap. Why should one spend the additional time and effort on discovery and learning? Curiosity is not enough. The answer is survival: our old beliefs may be fatally flawed.

The next time you have an important decision to make, challenge one key factor about the decision that you assume is fundamentally true and indisputable. You may be surprised with what you learn.

And, oh yea, as far as we know the earth is not the center of the universe, although people just like us believed it was for thousands of years.

Link to research by Harris, Sheth, and Cohen, 2007.

Sam Harris's blog