Cognitive Dissidents

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we discuss Elevation Emotion which is the idea that Elevation is an emotion elicited by witnessing virtuous acts of remarkable moral goodness. It is experienced as a distinct feeling of warmth and expansion that is accompanied by appreciation and affection for the individual whose exceptional conduct is being observed.… Read More »Cognitive D...

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we discuss Gaslighting. What it is, where it originates and how it is a deeply unethical mechanism that institutions use to shield themselves from accountability.  We then use Mormonism as an example and run through 4 major issues wherein Mormonism uses Gaslighting.  We use the article “Mormons, you aren’t… Read More »Cognitive Dissiden...

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast, We explore the Institutional mechanism of “Tattle Telling”.  We explore both the Formal mechanisms as well as the informal.  How High Demand Fundamentalist Religions incorporate ideas such as the internet being bad, that questions are good but doubts are bad, and how cultures of reporting people for discrediting the… Read More »C...

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast, Host Bill Reel tackles the religious mechanism of faith leaders discouraging research into their faiths claims and history from outside sources.  Whether that is asking a church member to not trust the internet, not trust unauthorized sources, or even asking them to disassociate from friends and family who ask… Read More »Cognitive Dissident...

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we dive into the idea of the “Illusory Effect” which is the idea that the more we repeat, hear, or recall information the more we believe what it is that is being taught.  We show how this psychological phenomenon is a tool that religions utilize in getting people to… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 008: Testimony Gained In The B...

Today we talk about the religious mechanism of doublespeak.  The idea that a religious institution benefits from seeming holding multiple contradictory perspectives at the same time.  That by having multiple contradictory messages simultaneously you maintain deniable plausibility on the problematic nature of any one issue perspective. Elder Christofferson’s talk that included Amish and Mormon Shunning

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Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we talk about when it is a good time to get out of the boat.  Using Mathew chapter 14 from the new testament as our backdrop we talk about why churches or religious institutions are useful and what purpose they serve and then turn our time to understanding that… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 006: Getting Out of The Boat and Walking On Wate...

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we talk about the backfire effect. The backfire effect is a cognitive bias that causes people who encounter evidence that challenges their beliefs to reject that evidence, and to strengthen their support of their original stance. Essentially, the backfire effect means that showing people evidence which proves that they… Read More »Cognitive D...

Today we introduce a NEW PODCAST , the “Cognitive Dissidents” Podcast.   Hosted by Bill Reel this podcast will tend to focus more on the psychology of religious belief and the mechanisms in place that encourage us to hold that belief.  We also want to spend time placing these mechanisms in the context of cognitive… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 001: Introduction