Fear and Pseudo-science

Fear and Pseudo-science

Janpha Thadphoothon

Humans have weaknesses, unlike machines or objects. They are endowed with 'fear'. Some fears are rational; many aren't.

Here, I should like to look into the nature of fear as mentioned earlier, realizing that )fear) pushes humans into believing in such sanity of pseudo-sciences (not real science).

As all human beings have fear, esp. they fear of something they don’t know its cause(s) or its whereabouts, fear of what is unknown or unknowable. They fear death and suffering, for example.

To overcome these shortcomings or gaps, some of them base their beliefs on scientific explanations: whatever exists can be observed and measured. However, many, consciously, the majority of people, turn to those fancy explanations and feel comfortable with them: other things being equal the simplest explanation has to be the right one. The worst case: Those who unconsciously believe such metaphysical explanations to be the scientific ones.

This sort of human nature was probably one of the motives driving a man like Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) to put his pen to paper and came up with Enemy of the People, (which have led some critics to associate him with Fascism, in addition to Feminism.)

Nevertheless, let’s look up for meanings of the word ‘fear’.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, fear refers to:

1.    feeling caused by nearness or possibility of danger or evil;
2.    dread and reverence;
3.    likelihood; and,
4.    anxiety for the safety.

The updated Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners has come up with these different connotations:

1.    It is the unpleasant feeling you have when you are in danger.
2.    If you fear someone or something, you are frightened because you think that they will harm you.
3.    A fear is a thought that something unpleasant might happen or might have happened.
4.    If you fear something unpleasant or undesirable, you are worried that it might happen or might have happened.
5.    If you say that there is a fear that something unpleasant or undesirable will happen, you mean that it is possible or likely.
6.    If you fear for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger.
7.    If you have fears for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger.
8.    If you fear to do something, you are afraid to do it or you do not wish to do it.
9.    You say that you fear that the situation is the case when the situation is unpleasant or undesirable, and when you want to express sympathy, sorrow, or regret about it.
10. If you are in fear of doing or experiencing something unpleasant or undesirable, you are very worried that you might have to do it or experience it.

11. If you take a particular course of action for fear of something, you take the action in order to prevent that thing happening.


It can be inferred from the above definitions and connotations that fear is the kind of unpleasant or undesirable feeling. You have fear when you are under threats, e.g. you might get killed or injured by something or someone. Human beings, like animals or not I am not quite sure, seek happiness and sometime meanings in life; and avoid suffering. In short, you want to be immortal.


Perhaps its potential root is ignorance. You are of incapability to know what and where you will be after you die. If there were hells and heavens, you would prefer the latter one, wouldn’t you? Most people believe or choose to believe that life continues after death. What you do not know drives you to seek answers, and thus creates room big enough for both sciences pseudo-sciences, and whatever exists.

Is fear our basic instinct like sex? Maybe, maybe not, or is it something that we have been conditioned? Or both? Or is it something --- which has already been determined by Providence? )

Hopefully, one day, we human beings may open wholly new ways of thinking about life and mind and even reality at large.

In psychology, people believe that certain kinds of fears can be cultured.


One of the most cited attempts by researchers to explain fears logically and scientifically is the classic study of Watson and Raynor  (1920). In addition to revealing that our fear is the undesirable feeling resulted from operant conditioning by anxiety-evoking stimuli, they have also demonstrated that fear can be generalized. Below is the study summary.

“ Watson and Raynor have described an experimentally induced phobia in a year-old infant [perhaps during that period of time research ethics allowed them], Albert, whose irrational fears were largely the result of overgeneralization. Albert was first exposed to a white rat; then, just as he was about to touch the rat, a loud noise was produced behind his head. On again being presented with the rat, Albert behaved in a highly emotional manner. After several pairings of the rat and the loud sound, Albert displayed a violent fear response when the rat alone was presented. Further tests revealed that by this time Albert had developed a phobia; the fear had generalized to other fluffy objects including rabbits, dogs, a seal-fur coat, cotton, wool, and human hair…”

Watson and Raynor have also illustrated that inappropriate generalization can be found in everyday life e.g. the letter from the advice column:

“ My girl friend fixed me up with a blind date and I should have known the minute he showed up in a bow tie that he couldn’t be trusted. I fell for him like a rock. He got me to love him on purpose and then lied to me and cheated on me. Every time I go with a man who wears a bow tie, the same thing happens. I think girls should be warned about men who wear them.

Against Bow Ties   “

(Watson and Raynor 1920, cited in Bandura and Walters 1963, p.8).


Based on experience, you would disagree with the girl because you might know a man behind a bow tie who can be trusted.

You might fear something like snakes, spiders, cockroaches, etc. The above examples might explain part of its causes.


You may have witnessed such generalized fears e.g. the All Black has to a Haka dance before playing rugby; Nobody would want to get married on Friday 13th, maybe because you are afraid that doing so will ruin your marriage and ghosts might break your neck or knock your brain out and etc.

Fears in Education

In the sphere of education, fears play a crucial role in shaping youngsters.

Learners, too, have been conditioned in such unhealthy ways. They have carried with them in their perceptions loads of fears. Some of them have lost their confidence and have developed the external locus of control, believing that their fate depends solely on something beyond their control.

In education, lights should be encouraged to expel or drive away human ignorance and fear. In many cases, this is not the case. Many teachers and educational institutes foster fears and irrationality. Fears are everywhere in places without peace, laws and order. Fear creeps in when your freedom is being hurt.

I hope I am not out of the ethers. I welcome whoever is reading mine to join me in this enterprise.

References

Bandura, Albert & Walters, H., Richard. (1963). Social Learning and Personality Development. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc, New York.