If 10% of the Population Believes a Stupid Thing, The Majority Will Too

[villager]

If 10% of the Population Believes a Stupid Thing, The Majority Will Too

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society.

The scientists, who are members of the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) at Rensselaer, used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion.

The finding has implications for the study and influence of societal interactions ranging from the spread of innovations to the movement of political ideals.”When the number of committed opinion holders is below 10 percent, there is no visible progress in the spread of ideas. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority,” said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski, the Claire and Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor at Rensselaer. “Once that number grows above 10 percent, the idea spreads like flame.”

As an example, the ongoing events in Tunisia and Egypt appear to exhibit a similar process, according to Szymanski. “In those countries, dictators who were in power for decades were suddenly overthrown in just a few weeks.”

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http://www.disinfo.com/2011/07/if-10-of-the-population-believes-a-stupid-thing-the-majority-will-too/

[RKP5637]

1. ... because 90% of the population is typically stupid! n/t

[Skittles]

2. explains the endurance of the Greedy Old Pig Party

[kenny blankenship]

3. Certainly corroborates my strongly held belief - now here's an unverifiable anecdote to back me up!

[Demeter]

4. Not True

If it were, we wouldn't be in the pickle we are in...atheism and all reality-based theory and fact would be dominating.

[Duct Tape]

5. Good point. I think

the amount of atheists is higher than what the polls say though. Many people think religion is a good thing, or are afraid of the reaction they will get, so they don't identify themselves as atheists. Some people don't even understand what it means to be an Atheist, they just recognize the bad connotations it has. If you were to really talk to these people though, many of them would fall under the agnostic/atheist/skeptic banner. That's really the reason why Dawkins has the Out campaign. To get people to come out and stand up for their non-belief. That being said, as a self-identified atheist, atheism and skepticism is not as popular as I would like it to be.

[saras]

7. Not true - most atheists and scientists DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING - they theorize and have opinions

It's a profoundly important distinction. Science wouldn't work if scientists believed, and in fact the history of science is full of scientists who failed, or were left behind, because they believed (Einstein, for example - his *belief* that "God did not play dice" prevented him from learning the new physics.)

[Fearless]

6. What if 10% believes the unflappable opposite... What do we get then? ...Congress?