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I'll have to read that! But, I think that people mostly believe what their family and/or friends tell them.. which is different from believing anything at all people tell them.

For example, if you're from a homophobic family you are not likely to belive someone if they tell them that being gay is genetic and there's not all anything wrong with it and God is OK with it... and so on. You'll just get a lot of blank stares and condemnation.. and no belief "just 'cause."

Mayby Terry means a certain kind of belief?

The way that he expressed the theory throughout the book was that you could make anyone believe almost anything if you state it with enough certainty. Many people don't need "proof" that things are true. If you're charismatic enough and sure enough of what you're telling them, they will believe you because either a) Its something they want to believe or b) Its something they're afraid of.

Early in the book one of the main character's uses the Wizard's First Rule against a group of angry townsmen. With no proof, and without actually performing any magic, he quickly has them convinced that he's a powerful, dangerous Wizard. Once they believe that (which they had already half believed on their way there, so its wasn't too hard to take them the rest of the way) he quickly also has them convinced that he's used his "magic" to take away whatever their most treasured possession is. One man goes running off, because he's certain his son must be dead and another is actually sure that his "member" is actually missing. Not once is the entire exchange did the wizard actually perform any magic. He simply used what the men already believed was true (he was a Wizard) and what they were afraid was true (magic can do horrible things to people) to make them believe it had happened.

People are stupid.

A less dramatic example has to do with life long beliefs. The same character convinces a group of hostile natives to tell him what he wants to know. How? By threatening them with magic. He has already told them that the villain would kill their people if they didn't help, but death doesn't scare them. However, when he told them that the villain would use magic to kill them, that they were afraid of. Because most people are convinced that dieing by magic is somehow worse than dieing by, say....burning to death. There's no reason to believe that. Dead is dead. But since its magic, it just has to be worse. There's no proof or evidence to back up the belief, but people still believe it because they're scared.

People are stupid.

While the book deals with belief through fear, more than belief through desire, that side of coin is still observable. If you met someone who desperately wanted to believe in life after death, it would be pretty easy to tell them a story about how you contacted the spirit of your distant ancestor and they told you many wonderful, comforting things and have that person completely believe you because they want to believe you. Hell, look at the millions of dollars spent every year on "magic" weight loss pills and quack diets. We've been told over and over again that he only real way to lose weight is diet and exercise, yet we still buy the latest "miracle weight loss" programs, based on what? A few "customer testimonials"? And then its doesn't work, and we get depressed...and then try again when the next diet or pill comes out. Why? Because we want to believe there's an easy way. Because we want to believe its not our fault. Because we want to believe a pill can change our lives. Despite what the doctors say, despite the "results not typical" disclaimer on the very ads we're being suckered by and despite our own personal experience. We want to believe it. And so we do.

People are stupid.

While I don't necessarily agree it applies to everyone all of the time, I think the Wizard's first rule actually is more valid that it would appear at first.

okay, so I tried to make a joke, acting skeptical about believing this rule.

But to really engage in this discussion:

PT Barnum said, "there's a sucker born every minute." That is demonstrably true.

I think there are also born-skeptics, however.

Thus, the Wizard's First Rule would apply to some, or even most of the people, but not all.

Lincoln said, "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Welcome!

(I thought you were going to bed)

It's great to see you here!

Thank you, i'd have introduced myself elsewhere, but i couldn't find out where

(i had to let other user use it, also couldn't sleep)

as for the questioning it, i myself would though not to not be stupid but simply because not doing it would prove to myself i am, where otherwise i don't care if i'm classifed, i know me.

Ah, but that's why its all a matter of confidence. If you act "smarter" and "better informed" then others will believe you. Awareness is also an issue. Since it was a Wizard's Rule, only wizard's and those they chose to share it with were aware of it. So, your average citizen didn't know the rule and was therefore much more susceptible to it. In fact, unless being used by a stronger wizard, most wizards were immune to the rule, being fully aware of the rule and all of its implications. In this case, the old G.I. Joe cartoons were quite right. Knowing is half the battle.

I like that...and I would tend to agree.