Don't nit me from the get go, obv intelligent people usually believe many a silly thing, and obv not all beliefs are silly in the same way, just as not all people are intelligent in the same way. We can ultimately discuss any interesting aspect of the topic, but I'm primarily asking about the effectiveness of actual or possible methods e.g. coercing specific beliefs through sophistry, meditation, drugs, torture or pleasure, a little Ludvig Van, brain tampering by implant or pistol whip, etc..

Just to have something to start with, say you are 2012 O'Brien and the party requires that you make Winston Smith believe that consuming Brussels sprouts allows one to levitate. The party also requires that Winston Smith remains as cogent and functional as possible (fit to do his job, let's say). Could you accomplish that, and if so, using what methods and under what conditions?

To me, hypnosis is the obvious answer.

I don't think it's possible short of mind altering torture.

Perhaps if you could go after people close to him, people he trusts, and get them to convince him. Even the strongest people doubt themselves when everyone they trust earnestly believes a thing.

Recruiting people that the subject trusts is probably the easiest way into changing their mind regardless of what your object is. In a hostile or unfamiliar environment a strong rational mind can hold out for a very long time.

The most effective is indoctrination from childhood, every parent and community system use it.

Classically, for getting the already adult population to behave and believe in a desired way, it's a combination of propaganda and terror.

With all the easily available information of to day, probably getting people into isolated sects and then starting the brain wash is among the most effective.

Is it possible to hypnotize a person to consciously (occurently) believe a proposition as specific and seemingly irreconcilable with other beliefs as that?

Weapons of mass destruction anyone, terrorism mythological fears? That the great superpower can be afraid of ridiculous tiny barbaric regimes to the point to bankrupt itself for trillions of $ without any benefit plan?

Hitler anyone?

Republican party/ Fox Channel anyone (some pretty intelligent people there too that cannot escape the bs of their leadership? Democrats not far away either)

String theory?

Cosmic Inflation theory?

3 sexy babes with the right moves and motivation ?

Afterlife?

Money, drive to obtain more of it to no end ?

Tokamak design in fusion (maybe)?

Romantic love most important thing in the universe?

Mid life crisis sex drive . Divorce to marry a young bimbo instead of fixing your marriage a great idea?

Primitive H. Sapiens instinct nature from the past...Smart women still attracted to sob abusive arrogant punk men in order to "fix" them.


Historical blindness and arrogance and some faulty science combo. WW2 Germany bad Physics calculations yielding critical mass of U235 in the thousands of kgr therefore losing the war due to not going after it. Failure of Hitler to first obtain super weapons like that and then do the war...engaging both west and east.


Communism? (time frame to get it 70-100 years)

Capitalism? (time frame to get it 200-250 years)


Too many opportunities to make way too many smart people believe silly things.

Naivete and arrogance and ignorance make a horrible mix recipe even for someone very intelligent. Keep people in the dark, cultivate fear and brainwash them to focus on the wrong priorities and you can get even smart ones to fail. But not all of them!


I know you are asking for methods but all the above have indeed their own methods to get to the silliness while feeling extremely confident. Just think about it.

I recommend watching the Derren Brown experiments where he uses fairly elaborate set ups to convince people or trick people into doing things. Granted I've never read any real analysis, but it's at the very least highly entertaining. In one episode, he attempts to convince a man to confess to a murder he never committed (and, in actual fact never happened).

Just make it a scientifically accepted "fact"....then make sure Winston Smith has a good education in the sciences. If enough people whom Smith trusts tell him something is true...he will likely believe it even if it is a lie.

Well if its silly it usually means its not compatible with his world view. If the piece doesn't fit you would have to make a whole new puzzle. Another option may be to give him a motive to believe something in that case he may not question it, OR perhaps through trickery of his own mind find a way to rationalize this belief, but thats more of a self delusion and not really a firm belief. I am not sure though maybe constant self delusion can lead to a belief?

Name one thing that humans believe that can't be reduced to "silly".

1)Sleep deprivation
2)Show sleep deprived person a magic trick
3)Wam bam done

My only concern here is that I if I were BIG BROTHER i wouldn't care if THE Winston Smith believes anything but I would care that the mass of people do believe. Then if THE Winston Smith turn out to be impossible to convince I just disappear him from history.

Irony much?

If you had them from birth you'd be good to go.

I think this would work for minor things. Trying to convince someone scientifically minded that trees are actually made up of red jelly beans is still a pretty impossible thing, IMHO.
Steve