But in the Middle Ages people were convinced there were witches. They looked for them and they certainly found them.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Belief in witches led people to see them where none existed, illustrating confirmation bias.
- In plain terms
- When you believe in witches, you find them everywhere.
- What can you take from it?
- Preexisting beliefs can cause people to see evidence that isn't there.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does belief shape reality?
- When do we see what we expect?
Another view
Historical cases may involve genuine social dynamics beyond simple belief.
More from Hans Blix
It's true the Iraqis misbehaved and had no credibility but that doesn't necessarily mean that they were in the wrong.
Permalink to quote #5 There was a very consistent creation of a virtual reality, and eventually it collided with our old-fashioned, ordinary reality.
Permalink to quote #7 : there are people in this administration who say they don't care if the UN sinks under the East river, and other crude things:
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
It is true that that may hold in these things, which is the general root of superstition; namely, that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss; and…
Francis BaconFrancis Bacon quote #12 Medieval ecclesiastics, either through ignorance of bigotry, painted Mohammadanism in the darkest colors. They were in fact; trained to hate both the man Muham…
George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw quote #220 For me Esoteric Hitlerism is being possessed by the archetypes of the collective unconscious which the Greeks used to call Gods:
Miguel SerranoMiguel Serrano quote #1