Believing that the world is fair can make you unsymphatetic

[Askold]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/oliver-burkeman-column/2015/feb/03/believing-that-life-is-fair-might-make-you-a-terrible-person?CMP=fb_gu

This is a very simple theory. If you believe in things like "karma" or that some benevolent deity or cosmic force rules the universe and makes it a nice place then you are an asshole.

...


...Well, ok it is not really that simple.

The point in the theory is that if you believe that the world is fair and just (whether due to belief in some benevolent power or because you are naive and bubbly) and you are faced with things like uneven distribution of wealth, genocides, racism or other such evidence that the world isn't fair and just then it simply does not compute.

There are two ways to solve this inconsistency. Either assume that the world isn't fair (and lose your worldview) or assume that the victims must somehow deserve these horrible things!

And that is why every new holocaust memorial increases the antisemitism in the area and when people see evidence for racism or poverty they are less likely to support people who wish to change these.

To shield ourselves psychologically from the terrifying thought that the world is full of innocent people suffering, we endorse politicians and policies more likely to make that suffering worse.

My wife said this exact issue why she isn't a Christian. (I for one see no conflict in that. People have a God given free will and can become what ever kind of person they want and many of us choose to become assholes. ...Free will.)

[Art Vandelay]

Karma in particular is especially ingenious. By saying that shitty circumstances are actually retribution for a past life, rather than something they've actually done, it provides a handy one size fits all justification for any situation that would otherwise demolish the just world fallacy. All around decent person constantly getting the short end of the stick? They're paying for being a git in a past life. Rich kid who's a spoiled little asshole, has never had to work a day in his life and has everything handed to him? The little shit must've been a saint in a previous incarnation. As far as religious woo goes, it's a thing of beauty.

[Ironchew]

This hypothesis needs a name. Something short and to the point.

"The SpukiKitty effect"

[Ultimate Paragon]

This hypothesis needs a name. Something short and to the point.

"The SpukiKitty effect"

That's a low blow.

[Sigmaleph]

This hypothesis needs a name. Something short and to the point.

"The SpukiKitty effect"

Personal attacks against other posters belong in F&B. Consider it an official warning.

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

This hypothesis needs a name. Something short and to the point.

"The SpukiKitty effect"

I think the "I'm alright Jack" effect is more appropriate.

[Barbarella]

Howdy! Yes, I believe in Divine Retribution/Reciprocity/Karma. No, I'm not an asshole & NO, I don't believe the world is just (I see injustice everywhere). Also, I think folks who "blame the victim" are scum and no, I don't see Karma like that because it's stupid. Karma's not that simplistic AND I'm re-thinking the whole "Karma" thing (but I do believe that one gets what's coming to them, for good or ill, after death in the afterlife). I also have realized that "Karma" is really more of a vague "Cause/Effect" thing that a moralistic/ethical "Reward/Punishment" thing like we in the West assume. I've been confusing "Karma" with "Reciprocity". I realize that not all good is rewarded & evil punished (except in the hereafter).

That said, the "Just World" hypothesis is a good contributor to "victim-blaming" and other B.S.

And I'll try to quit ramblin' on about "Karma" when I hear about jerks being jerk and get mad.

This hypothesis needs a name. Something short and to the point.

"The SpukiKitty effect"

Har Har Har 

[Rime]

I've been struggling for the words, and it feels like it too many or too few.

It is based on who we really are.  If the habit is to focus more on self, then yes, of course, that person will be unsympathetic.  If the focus is more on others, then you'll find the opposite to be true.  Belief is in how we interpret it.  The big difference I've found is that, especially in this area, religion is guaranteed to truly change your nature to "awesome" when really, it's just throwing a new tablecloth over the same broken-down card table and claiming it's brand new.

I can say that "Justice is not part of the design of the universe" and have one person think I'm a barely resisting being a serial killer and the other see that just because life isn't fair doesn't mean that I can't try to change that.

[TheUnknown]

Karma in particular is especially ingenious. By saying that shitty circumstances are actually retribution for a past life, rather than something they've actually done, it provides a handy one size fits all justification for any situation that would otherwise demolish the just world fallacy. All around decent person constantly getting the short end of the stick? They're paying for being a git in a past life. Rich kid who's a spoiled little asshole, has never had to work a day in his life and has everything handed to him? The little shit must've been a saint in a previous incarnation. As far as religious woo goes, it's a thing of beauty.

The Hollywood version of karma can also apply; if someone is being horrible, don't worry, they'll get theirs.  Sometime.  Eventually.  You'll never know when or how, but rest assured that at some point in time, bad people will get their comeuppance and good people will be rewarded.  Somehow.

[Katsuro]

I want to know what kind of oblivious moron can look at the world and conclude it's fair.

[R. U. Sirius]

I want to know what kind of oblivious moron can look at the world and conclude it's fair.

The kind that, mainly due to circumstances entirely beyond their control, are born into wealthy families, never have to worry about major health issues, never have trouble with the law and are then told their whole lives that their success is due to pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

[Katsuro]

I want to know what kind of oblivious moron can look at the world and conclude it's fair.

The kind that, mainly due to circumstances entirely beyond their control, are born into wealthy families, never have to worry about major health issues, never have trouble with the law and are then told their whole lives that their success is due to pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

Even then they'd have to have never watched the news or read a newspaper or interacted with other humans and just generally have completely insulated themselves from the outside world and lived in a nuclear bunker or something.

[Ironchew]

I want to know what kind of oblivious moron can look at the world and conclude it's fair.

The kind that, mainly due to circumstances entirely beyond their control, are born into wealthy families, never have to worry about major health issues, never have trouble with the law and are then told their whole lives that their success is due to pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

Even then they'd have to have never watched the news or read a newspaper or interacted with other humans and just generally have completely insulated themselves from the outside world and lived in a nuclear bunker or something.

Apologists can think up a post-hoc justification for anything. They may even believe it themselves.

[Sigmaleph]

I want to know what kind of oblivious moron can look at the world and conclude it's fair.

The kind that, mainly due to circumstances entirely beyond their control, are born into wealthy families, never have to worry about major health issues, never have trouble with the law and are then told their whole lives that their success is due to pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

Even then they'd have to have never watched the news or read a newspaper or interacted with other humans and just generally have completely insulated themselves from the outside world and lived in a nuclear bunker or something.

The trick is, whenever something bad happens to someone you assume they deserve it. Soon, you will be able to use the fact that something bad happened as evidence that they are bad people, and the idea is beautifully self-reinforcing.

That, plus the standard cognitive bias toolkit (belief compartmentalization, confirmation bias, selective memory, etc) can get you a long way into believing the just world fallacy.

[R. U. Sirius]

I want to know what kind of oblivious moron can look at the world and conclude it's fair.

The kind that, mainly due to circumstances entirely beyond their control, are born into wealthy families, never have to worry about major health issues, never have trouble with the law and are then told their whole lives that their success is due to pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

Even then they'd have to have never watched the news or read a newspaper or interacted with other humans and just generally have completely insulated themselves from the outside world and lived in a nuclear bunker or something.

The trick is, whenever something bad happens to someone you assume they deserve it. Soon, you will be able to use the fact that something bad happened as evidence that they are bad people, and the idea is beautifully self-reinforcing.

See: every religious apologist saying that people get sick or have accidents or lose everything in natural disasters because they don't have strong enough/the right kind of faith.