notes-beliefMaintenance

it seems to me that often it is possible for two sets of beliefs that seem to be very different and incompatible to produce similar actions and possible predictions/justifications.

for example, i have a friend who believes in all sorts of conspiracy theories which i consider to be very unlikely. However in their daily life, in their career, and in their finances, my friend does things that seem sensible and indeed are very similar to the actions i would expect from someone who held my point of view on the issues.

another example: the sovereign debt crisis. let's suppose that all sorts of things fall apart due to unsustainable national debt loads. The conservatives will say, 'see, we told you, we spent more on social assistance than we could afford', and the liberals will say, 'see, we told you, we let ourselves be fleeced by bankers via a monetary system based on banking and debt and by the rich via low taxes'.