Search

As I explain in the chapter by that title in Breaking the Spell, "belief in belief" is a
common phenomenon not restricted to religions. Economists realise that a sound
currency depends on people believing that the currency is sound, and scientists
recognise that the actual objectivity of scientific studies on global warming is politically
impotent unless people believe in that objectivity, so economists and scientists (among
others) take steps to foster and protect such beliefs that they think are benign. That's
acting on belief in belief.
Sometimes the maintenance of a belief is deemed so important that impressive systems
of propaganda are erected and vigorously defended by people who do not in fact share
the belief that they think is so important for society to endorse. For instance, imbecile
monarchs have been kept on their thrones by widespread conspiracies of oblivion and
deception when it has been deemed too socially disruptive to confirm to the populace
what everybody suspects: the king is an idiot.
Religion offers an extreme case of this. Today one of the most insistent forces arrayed in
opposition to us vocal atheists is the "I'm an atheist but" crowd, who publicly deplore
our "hostility", our "rudeness" (which is actually just candour), while privately admitting
that we're right. They don't themselves believe in God, but they certainly do believe in
belief in God. It's not always easy to tell who just believes in belief, since the actions
motivated by believing in belief (while not actually believing in God) are with the
exception of those rare sotto voce confessions well-nigh indistinguishable from the
actions of genuine believers: say the prayers, sing the hymns, tithe, proclaim one's
allegiance, volunteer for church projects, and so on. Sometimes I wonder if even 10% of
the people who proclaim their belief in God actually do believe in God. I am particularly
unimpressed by those who proclaim the loudest; they demonstrate by their very
activism that they fear the effect of any erosion of religion, and they must think that
erosion is likely if they don't put their shoulders to the wheel. If they were more
Daniel Dennett
The Guardian, Thursday 16 July 2009
The folly of pretence | Daniel Dennett | Comment is free | The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/jul/16/daniel-...
1 von 3 05.06.2014 12:48
More from the guardian
Release of 'deserter' Bowe Bergdahl prompts anger from
former colleagues 02 Jun 2014
Obama assures eastern Europe that the US will not
abandon it 03 Jun 2014
This column will change your life: the best dating
advice? Wait and see 31 May 2014
Cleanse Fifa of corruption by leaving it, not playing
along 03 Jun 2014
In praise of Garibaldi's London visit 03 Jun 2014
confident and secure in their religious convictions, they probably wouldn't waste their
time trying to discredit a few atheists. For instance, since they are confident that the
moon landings really happened, they don't bother working to discredit the
moon-landing sceptics who lurk on the internet, even though those people do pose
something of a threat to public confidence in the veracity of the media and the
government.
I am confident that those who believe in belief are wrong. That is, we no more need to
preserve the myth of God in order to preserve a just and stable society than we needed
to cling to the Gold Standard to keep our currency sound. It was a useful crutch, but
we've outgrown it. Denmark, according to a recent study, is the sanest, healthiest,
happiest, most crime-free nation in the world, and by and large the Danes simply ignore
the God issue. We should certainly hope that those who believe in belief are wrong,
because belief is waning fast, and the props are beginning to buckle.
A national study by evangelicals in the United States predicted that only 4% of their
children would grow up to be "Bible-believing" adults. The Southern Baptists are
baptising about as many today as they were in 1950, when the population was half what
it is today. At what point should those who just believe in belief throw in the towel and
stop trying to get their children and neighbours to cling to what they themselves no
longer need? How about now?
This article was amended on Thursday 16 July 2009. Moon-landing sceptics were
referred to as "loonies", contrary to the Guardian style guide. This has been corrected.
2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Get the best of Comment is free
The most shared comment, analysis and editorial
articles delivered every weekday lunchtime.
Sign up for the Comment is free email
The folly of pretence | Daniel Dennett | Comment is free | The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/jul/16/daniel-...
2 von 3 05.06.2014 12:48
The folly of pretence | Daniel Dennett | Comment is free | The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/jul/16/daniel-...
3 von 3 05.06.2014 12:48