Quote from Ghost of Cutten:
I'm interested in why people believe the things they do, especially when it seems to clash with the evidence (or lack thereof) from reality. Why are there still marxists or even socialists in this world. Why are there anarchists, or astrologers, or believers in ghosts. Why do the public consistently prefer both higher government spending and lower taxes, or rack up large amounts of credit card debt to purchase useless consumer goods. Why do the vast majority of people follow the religion of their parents, when this clearly has nothing to do with its veracity (if you are born in Mexico you are likely to be a catholic; if in Saudi then a muslim. Yet clearly both cannot be true at once, and clearly one is not more or less likely to be true just because you were born there. Yet the vast majority act and think as if that were so.) Why did people in the past believe in slavery, or think the world was flat, or that alchemy could turn lead into gold. Why do people sell stocks when they get cheaper and safer, and buy when they get more expensive and risky. Why does Jim Cramer have an audience etc.
I have a strong interest in finding out the nature of reality, and religion is one of the biggest areas where people appear to believe things not based on facts, evidence, and logic, but various other illegitimate reasons, such as the beliefs of their parents or host culture. So it is naturally something which stimulates my curiosity. I realise that most people don't change their views, even if you proven them wrong, but I find it interesting to examine the reasons they give for believing the way they do. It teaches you a profound scepticism towards the beliefs and reasoning capabilities of most of humanity, which is a trait that comes in useful in the markets, and life in general.