Why do people read a book or an article off a website and think they know everything?

Question

99% of the political questions asked here are by some pseudo-intellectual that read a pamphlet handed out at college, or read something on moveon.org, and now they think they are vastly superior in knowledge and ethics to everybody else. Why would you be so gullible?

Answer 1

Information is gathered in many different areas these days. What is a reliable source? That's a blurry question to answer really. Democrats will quote their sources where Republicans will quote their own. Whatever supports your own opinions about the world is a reliable source to YOU is probably the best way to answer it.

Answer 2

You obviously haven't read my online book entitled...

"Why I Know Everything After Reading One Online Book"

by MI4REAL?

(you can purchase it at all 1/3rd Priced Bookstores Anywhere)

Answer 3

Maybe because they are liberals.  It seems that some even will cite a conspiracy theory as fact point to some video link and there you go proof.  The store fits their argument however when the conspiracy theory is proven false the a new link is found and the line continues.  Mostly I see this from the Blame Bush/Blame America crowd.

Answer 4

It does not take effort to believe what you are told is correct. It takes effort to ask questions. The human race is lazy, so is easily led

Answer 5

Who has the time to be an expert at everything?

If I tell you that Windows Vista has several instances of spyware and DRM and that you should avoid it if at all possible, you would likely believe me because I'm a computer professional and happen to know these things.

Sure you can challenge it and do the research yourself, but do you have the time? Will you really carefully research and consider every opinion you hold before you express it?

I'm not saying that people should act superior and knowlegeable when they're not, but this is why people do this.

Answer 6

Credible sources. You are right that it is rampant that reading something makes one think they know all. Just because it is in writing doesn't mean it is true.

Some people need to learn how to identify a credible source. For instance what right does a pastor have to tell children not to study science? They have not studied it themselves and have really misrepresented it to their flock. I think to be a credible source the authors must have studied it to some extent.

Answer 7

Good question.   Most people are pretty shallow and not very intelligent.   Most people can't name the three branches of government and a very small percentage of the population know who their local elected officials are.  Given that, people want to appear knowledgeable and intelligent so they basically "parrot" sound bites that they pick up on talk radio or some website.

Answer 8

I would submit that it is not necessarily a lack of contradictory evidence as much as it is a lack of desire to seek that evidence. This insinuates that they are truly seeking truth and my experience with liberals is that they are not. I frequently say liberalism is a mental disorder. I don’t declare this to be offensive or hateful, I truly believe there is something wrong upstairs.

For the most part contemporary liberalism/progressivism embraces Marxism/communism (it really always has but, not on such a substantial level). Who could continue to embrace a social-economical ideology that has been responsible for more suffering and death than all other ideologies combined? It’s insanity.

Who could continue to deny that “radical” Islam is a result of the teachings of Mohammad and not the result of grievances against the West? It’s insanity…