
Insecure Minds Wired for Pattern-Finding - nickb
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/10/02/mind-control-pattern-print.html
======
rkts
cf. Hume, 1757

"In proportion as any man's course of life is governed by accident, we always
find, that he encreases in superstition; as may particularly be observed of
gamesters and sailors, who, though, of all mankind, the least capable of
serious reflection, abound most in frivolous and superstitious apprehensions.
The gods, says Coriolanus in Dionysius, have an influence in every affair; but
above all, in war; where the event is so uncertain. ...

"Any of the human affections may lead us into the notion of invisible,
intelligent power; hope as well as fear, gratitude as well as affliction: But
if we examine our own hearts, or observe what passes around us, we shall find,
that men are much oftener thrown on their knees by the melancholy than by the
agreeable passions. Prosperity is easily received as our due, and few
questions are asked concerning its cause or author. It begets cheerfulness and
activity and alacrity and a lively enjoyment of every social and sensual
pleasure: And during this state of mind, men have little leisure or
inclination to think of the unknown invisible regions. On the other hand,
every disastrous accident alarms us, and sets us on enquiries concerning the
principles whence it arose: Apprehensions spring up with regard to futurity:
And the mind, sunk into diffidence, terror, and melancholy, has recourse to
every method of appeasing those secret intelligent powers, on whom our fortune
is supposed entirely to depend."

------
shaunxcode
Surely cognition itself IS pattern-finding/recognition/manipulation.

In my reductionist view all human belief and action can be traced back to
prejudice driven heuristics.

So I find it a little naive/short sighted of the article to indicate that
false pattern finding is something that happens only under stress.

~~~
jsmcgd
It doesn't say only under stress. It says it happens more frequently.

~~~
jherber
akes perfect sense under the Evolutionary Psychology framework. If something
bad is happening around you, you should be trying to overfit the data to avoid
your demise. Assuming an escapable, cataclysmic event as a fitness function -
only those growing paranoid and neurotically "connecting the dots" are going
to make it out alive to breed again.

