ouroboros

If I'm permitted to tell my favorite story, a wonderful anecdote about Niels Bohr, the Copenhagen guy [Nobel prize winning quantum physicist]. Once a friend visited him in his country house- farmer's house. And he, the friend, noticed there above the entrance to the house a horse shoe, which...in Europe it is a superstitious item preventing evil spirits to enter the house.

So the friend asks Niels Bohr, wait a minute aren't you scientist, do you believe in this? Of course, I'm not crazy, I don't. So the friend asked him why do you have it there? You know what Niels Bohr answered? He said of course I don't believe in it. But I set it there because I was told that it works even if you don't believe in it. That's unfortunately our ideology to date.

...Like you know you don't have to believe in this but believe still things. Things like Santa Claus. You ask the parents do you believe in Santa Claus. They will tell you, I'm not crazy, I buy (the presents). Then you ask the child do you believe he will say no, I'm not crazy I just pretend not to hurt my parents. So a belief functions, a social category, even if no one believes in it. I think this is crucial to understand how things function today.