Hi, need to submit a 1250 words paper on the topic Belief versus Knowledge. Indeed, the attitude towards sex has evolved slowly through the years if one took care to read the likes of The Kinsey Report, the Shanor Study, and a dozen other works which attempted to chronicle and analyze the intricacies of human sexuality since the time of Sigmund Freud.
Our attitude toward sex is influenced by belief and knowledge. And since this paper seeks to determine their effects on the human psyche. let us distinguish one from the other. Doing so would set the parameters of this essay for these two are closely related.
In psychology, belief is a mental representation of a proposition and is formed through our experiences of the world. (Slater & Muir, 1999, p. 231) Experiences count various guides and influences including but not limited to religion and social norms. Slater & Muir explained that a belief could be false if it does not correspond to reality, while if it is true then most assume that it becomes knowledge. There are several gray areas in this particular aspect since not all agree that this is so but we will use belief and knowledge in these contexts.
As mentioned beforehand, there are several factors that shape the belief of an individual. There is religion, the collective racial experiences, social norms, and several others ranging from political to economic.
Let us discuss religion first for this is the most potent force behind the human’s choices as he goes about his daily experiences. People perceive it as the moral authority and, hence, the moral compass to steer them in the right direction. (Nipkow, 2003, p. 5) It almost is synonymous with the right path and goodness itself. Although we cannot fault it in a variety of other things, it seems to fail us in the area of sexuality. For instance, religion considers sexual abstinence as a virtue, and admitting to sexual urges instead of suppressing it is tantamount to committing a sin. Religion is responsible for the myth that sex or lust is associated with evil. So when the truth is, while we as humans long to love and be loved, we grow up in a society that makes us feel guilty. Unfortunately, shared assumptions become knowledge and when the society makes up its mind on something, an individual within would assume it for truth. (Slater & Muir, p.