Quote:
Originally Posted by rayliotta
And what do you think, zeek? If not "subliminal infecting and worming", what do you believe re the power of ideas, esp subtle ones, instilled in a person's mind over a period of years/decades?
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Children are inculcated into their culture of origin from the time of conception. Their brains are very plastic and malleable and they have not learned to think critically. Critical thinking is rarely taught to anyone prior to college and even then it is usually only an optional elective course. So parents and teachers are prominent players in the indoctrination process. Now, Witness Lee stood against critical thinking in doctrine and practice even for adults. He demanded rote memorization of his words through a process of repetition and chanting which we called prayer reading.
So I don't deny that subliminal learning may take place. Nor do I deny the power of suggestion or even the effect of memes. The greater problem is that people accept propositions that are unsupportable by evidence or rational argument. I favor critical thinking, a skill that many adults are deficient in. Critical thinking should be taught to everyone in high school. But, it would be inconvenient because critical thinkers do not make docile consumers of whatever the dominant authority is putting out like we were in the local churches.