When people
engage in self-education, they tend to select sources of information that align
with their existing worldview. An atheist, for instance, reads books about
evolution, while a believer reads about Christian wonders. Similarly, those who
support the Democrats consume Democratic media, and those who support the
Republicans consume Republican media. Information that does not fit their
worldview causes them cognitive dissonance—unpleasant feelings they wish to
avoid. To escape these feelings, they usually deny the information, label it as
fake or manipulated, or simply forget it.
I believe
that education can make a person more dogmatic because the modern education
system only provides knowledge that fits into a pre-established narrative.
We can say
that a person's worldview is often shaped by the first books they read or other
initial sources of information they encounter.
There is an
interesting observation that believers are less likely to read the Bible than
atheists. Atheists consider the Bible a set of fairy tales, so reading it does
not cause them cognitive dissonance. Believers, however, encounter facts in the
Bible that do not fit their worldview, causing cognitive dissonance and leading
them to stop reading.
This
phenomenon has intensified in recent years. Previously, people watched the news
to get new information. Now, they watch the news to confirm their existing
views. This problem is related to the filter bubble (Filter Bubble).
A smart
person is one who is not afraid of cognitive dissonance and is ready to endure
it until a new understanding emerges at a deeper level of knowledge. A foolish
person, on the other hand, believes they understand almost everything.
