Cognitive dissonance strengthens rather than weakens false beliefs under contrary evidence

Evidence

But one of the most valuable insights in Philip Mirowski’s Never Let A Serious Crisis Go To Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown comes from his account of cognitive dissonance itself. Referring to the work of Leon Festinger, the social psychologist who worked extensively on cognitive dissonance, Mirowski reminds us that cognitive dissonance is not a threat to false beliefs. On the contrary, cognitive dissonance is a mechanism by which false beliefs can be maintained when confronted with evidence that directly disproves them. In fact, as Mirowski writes, Festinger’s crucial claim was “that confrontation with contrary evidence may actually augment and sharpen the conviction and enthusiasm of a believer”. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1798

Categorization

• XREF: Links to own earlier claim that class assumptions form tenacious core programming resisting empirical disproof (ch33). — connects to: Fact-challenging arises from motive to protect beliefs and enables political domination — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 49; Post-truth roots lie in ancient cognitive bias, academic relativism, and media change; Fighting post-truth requires doubting one’s own favored beliefs first — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 330 (+14 more)
• SEED: A piece could use the Seekers and the austerity narrative side by side: disconfirmation as fuel for belief, and what that means for political deprogramming.

Broader Connections

• Belief systems respond to contrary evidence by discounting the evidence #corroborates (0.85)
• Confirmation bias and inertia make reputations resistant to disconfirming evidence #expands (0.78)
• External challenges to justify beliefs can trigger belief transformation #contradicts (0.75) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 198