Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 86.djvu/86

82 The belief that in some yet unexplored region of the earth or on some of the other planets, e.g., Mars, there is to be found a race of beings intellectually, morally and physically superior to the remainder of mankind is a belief of a different character from those already considered. In regard to this kind of belief we have no definite evidence that gives us the right to say that this is not true, but neither has the individual any evidence that the belief corresponds with actual fact. Such a belief may arise because of some religious considerations, as, for example, that since the known races of man are imperfect God has also created perfect men, or has caused a race of superior beings to be developed. Or such a belief may be the consequence of a vivid dream, or a too realistic acceptance of a novelist’s tale. Such a belief corresponds with the character of the belief of a child in the phenomena of birth, that babies are brought by storks or are to be found in cabbage patches, or with the belief that the moon is made of green cheese, or that there is a race of giants which eat ordinary-sized men, or that there are good and bad fairies which oversee the actions of man and reward or punish accordingly.

All of the beliefs which we have considered may be false, but simply because of their falsity they are not necessarily delusions. Characteristics other than that of falsity must be present to warrant the designation of a particular belief a delusion. Let us consider the false belief regarding the day of the week. If the individual who expresses the belief that “to-day is Sunday” when in reality it be Tuesday does not listen to reason, if, for example, he is taken to various churches and is shown that these buildings are closed at the time of day that Sunday services are announced upon the bulletin boards, and if he is taken to the business districts and is shown that the shops are open and that people are coming and going and making purchases as on a week day, and if, furthermore, the newsboys with morning or evening papers sell him a copy which shows by its date line that it is issued on Tuesday, and he still persists in his belief, there is something added to the false belief. If these evidences do not sufficiently appeal to his reason so that he gives up the belief, it may be said that, in addition to being false, the belief is unreasonable and opposed to the experiences of others in his community. There is, therefore, more reason for calling the false belief a delusion.

Although mistakes (such as that of the day of the week) may result in appropriate kinds of reactions, this has been considered to be a typical characteristic of delusions. Certain false beliefs are, however, of such a character that they lead to no reaction, although most frequently delusions do bring about behavior appropriate to the belief. The association of special activities with special beliefs is not any more characteristic of delusions than of true beliefs, and the fact that a false belief is