Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winning economist, has researched the illusion of validity and has conclusively shown that confidence by coherence is the reason that some of our most important beliefs have no evidence at all, except that people that we love and trust hold these beliefs. Since beliefs without evidence are not based on facts, we are in fact in danger of accepting folly as fact.

The less we know about a subject the easier it is to develop a coherent story. Facts are ignored, science is ridiculed and we are comforted by our ability to ignore our ignorance.

The ability to convince ourselves and others that we “know” is a pernicious illusion.

This illusion of truth is supported by a professional group of “learned” leaders. They speak with an authority bestowed by a higher metaphysical source.

It is easier to maintain faith in the absurd, when we are surrounded by like minded believers.

Accepting the idea that someone without proof can pontificate on the unknowable is not only irrational, it is inflicting a illusion that can be to our detriment.

The more famous the testifier the more irrational idea we will accept.

No one is more famous to the believer than the ultimate authority and his prophet.

(See Chapter 20 in Kahneman’s book Thinking, Fast and Slow)