{"id":41716,"date":"2025-04-17T16:58:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T23:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=41716"},"modified":"2025-04-17T16:58:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T23:58:33","slug":"cognitive-contagion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/cognitive-contagion\/","title":{"rendered":"Cognitive Contagion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The human mind is both fantastic and flawed.\u00a0 It is capable of deep reason and dangerous delusion. In George Orwell\u2019s 1984<\/em>, the protagonist Winston Smith lives in a world where truth is not discovered but manufactured<\/em> by the oppressive regime of Big Brother. The Party controls not just the actions of its citizens, but even their thoughts, convincing them that lies are truth and truth is a lie. In this dystopian society, the very concept of reality becomes fluid, manipulated by ideologies that distort perception and eliminate dissent. Winston\u2019s struggle is a fight to reclaim his ability to think freely and critically in the face of overwhelming cognitive manipulation.<\/p>\n

This notion of distorted thinking and manipulated truths is central to Gad Saad\u2019s The Parasitic Mind[1]<\/strong><\/sup><\/a><\/em>, where he argues that certain ideologies, like postmodernism and radical feminism, act like \u201cmind viruses,\u201d infecting our ability to reason and discern truth. These \u201cmind viruses\u201d thrive in places like universities and media, creating a culture that rejects objective reality in favor of ideological dogma.\u00a0 Other thinkers, such as Eve Poole in Robot Souls[2]<\/strong><\/sup><\/a><\/em> and Pragya Agarwal in Sway[3]<\/strong><\/sup><\/a><\/em>, also delve into the fallibility of human thinking, though from different angles.\u00a0 This article will explore Saad\u2019s critique of irrational ideologies, compare it with Poole\u2019s and Agarwal\u2019s insights, and reflect on how a biblical worldview offers a more holistic remedy\u2014one that not only restores intellectual clarity but also calls for moral and spiritual renewal.<\/p>\n

Mind Viruses<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Saad\u2019s book is a critique of misguided reasoning patterns he calls \u201cparasitic pathogens of the human mind\u201d[4]<\/sup><\/a>, which, as he elaborates, are:<\/p>\n

Composed of thought patterns, belief systems, attitudes, and mindsets that parasitize one\u2019s ability to think properly and accurately.[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to Saad, when these parasitic pathogens settle into a person\u2019s mental pathways, they seem to lose their ability to exercise sound reason, logic, and science as they navigate the world. Instead, they descend into a confusing space where a determined disregard for reality, common sense, and truth takes over.[6]<\/sup><\/a> He labels these parasitic pathogens as \u201cMind Viruses,\u201d an analogy seemingly borrowed from Richard Dawkins, who tried to establish an analogy between computer viruses and theistic belief systems several years prior.[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The particular \u201cMind Viruses\u201d he focuses on include:<\/p>\n

\u2026postmodernism, radical feminism, and social constructivism, all of which largely flourish within one infected ecosystem: the university. While each mind virus constitutes a different strain of lunacy, they are all bound by the full rejection of reality and common sense. (postmodernism rejects the existence of objective truths; radical feminism scoffs at the idea of innate biologically-based sex differences; and social constructivism posits that the human mind starts off as an empty slate largely void of biological blueprints).[8]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Saad\u2019s concern is that these ideologies reject objective truth, biology, and reason.\u00a0 If unchecked, they will cause us to lose the battle of ideas and result in our free society being destroyed and enslaved by lunacy.[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Flaw or Feature<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Along with Saad, other thinkers have examined patterns of human thinking considered to be problematic. Eve Poole examines how our emotional and intuitive faculties, often seen as flawed or extraneous, are actually fundamental to human cognition. Poole suggests that emotions, mistakes, and uncertainty\u2014what she calls “junk code”\u2014 are features of humanity, not flaws.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Pragya Agarwal, meanwhile, highlights how unconscious biases shape our choices and decisions, often without our awareness. She concludes that biases are unconscious, shaped by evolution, affecting all life areas.\u00a0 She identifies them as adaptive mechanisms aiding survival.<\/p>\n

Although their approaches differ, all three authors point to how our thinking can be clouded, manipulated, and corrupted.\u00a0 They agree that human thinking is vulnerable and shaped by forces beyond reason alone.<\/p>\n

While there is some agreement, it is limited and overshadowed by distinct points of divergence.\u00a0 Saad critiques flawed thinking as dangerous; Poole celebrates it as human; Agarwal calls for reform and awareness.\u00a0 All three seek human flourishing, but define it differently.<\/p>\n

A Theological Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Bible affirms both the dignity and fallibility of human thought, made in God’s image, yet distorted by sin. Paul charges the Christians in:<\/p>\n

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[11]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Paul alludes to flawed thinking in the world and its real potential to influence our thoughts.\u00a0 However, he also emphasizes that our minds can be renewed.\u00a0 The mind can be shaped and transformed.\u00a0 Paul speaks with a passive imperative voice: \u201cDo not\u00a0be\u2026but be.\u201d\u00a0 He commands Christians not to allow external influences to shape their thinking in a way that reflects a fallen and broken world, but rather to have their thinking shaped by God.\"\"
\nSaad\u2019s critique and call to resist ideologies that distort reality are both valuable and timely.\u00a0 But human thinking is not fixed by reason alone\u2014it must be redeemed.\u00a0 In a world of confusion and competing narratives, the gospel offers a better one: not just clarity of thought, but renewal of the mind.\u00a0 The Gospel invites us to pursue not just as an idea, but as a person.<\/p>\n

_____________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/sup><\/a> Gad Saad, The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas are Killing Common Sense<\/em>, (New York: Regnery, 2020).<\/p>\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Eve Poole, Robot Souls: Programming in Humanit<\/em>y, (CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2024).<\/p>\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> Pragya Agarwal, Sway: Unraveling Unconscious Bias<\/em>, (London: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2020).<\/p>\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> Saad, The Parasitic Mind, <\/em>17.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> Saad, The Parasitic Mind, <\/em>17.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/sup><\/a> Saad, The Parasitic Mind, <\/em>17.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/sup><\/a> Richard Dawkins, \u201cVirus of the Mind,\u201d 1991, https:\/\/www.inf.fu-berlin.de\/lehre\/pmo\/eng\/Dawkins-MindViruses.pdf.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/sup><\/a> Saad, The Parasitic Mind, <\/em>18.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/sup><\/a> Saad, The Parasitic Mind, <\/em>22.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/sup><\/a> Poole, Robot Souls<\/em>, 74.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/sup><\/a> Romans 12:2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The human mind is both fantastic and flawed.\u00a0 It is capable of deep reason and dangerous delusion. In George Orwell\u2019s 1984, the protagonist Winston Smith lives in a world where truth is not discovered but manufactured by the oppressive regime of Big Brother. The Party controls not just the actions of its citizens, but even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3443],"class_list":["post-41716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-saad-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/194"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41716"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41728,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41716\/revisions\/41728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}