[dmontero]

Our mind likes plausible stories. It helps to make sense of the past and to have the -incorrect- perception that one can predict the future.

That's why fictions are so powerful. We easily get caught by them.

If people beliefs were purely rational, they would be able to weight the facts against the fictions. However, our subjective confidence in a story (fact or fiction) depends on many factors: - We tend to believe stories that appear to be based on cause-effect and that express continuity. - We tend to believe in things that people that we trust and love believe in.