Derren Brown attacked for not knowing the "social utility" of ghost stories

Is there anything more condescending than elite members of UK society who think it's a useful "social utility" if the lower orders continue to hold superstitious beliefs.  The woeful Melanie Phillips is one high profile example of someone from the media elite who wants efforts to convert the masses to a religion she herself does not believe in. And here we have it again, this time from the author Hilary Mantel in her review of Derren Brown's book Tricks of the Mind.

In the review Mantel challenges Brown's assault on superstitious beliefs on the following grounds:

"A group of people praying together, or telling each other ghost stories, are engaged in an emotional bonding exercise of considerable social utility. Brown does not see this, and thinks religion is just for poor saps who need comfort."

So there you have it, it's a "social utility" if the plebs continue to believe in ghost stories. We don't know if Mantel believes in the paranormal herself. Her argument isn't based on whether ghosts are real, you see truth holds less value than what Mantel sees as a desirable social outcome if others believe in all sorts of paranormal nonsense. The key question isn't if a belief is based on truth but if it alters the behaviour of the masses in a manner which the elitist views as socially useful.

Mantel whose last novel was a story of a "home counties psychic" calls on Brown to consider the social context of psychics, yets offers no social context herself. Perhaps she thinks the world would be a better place without superstition, we don't know, so have to judge her on the basis of how she seems to have been riled by Brown's attack on credulity.  This means on balance, her review makes her come over as a terrible elitist.

Comments

[Chris B]

You can't blame Derren for thinking 'outside the box'. He presents his ideas in an interesting, convincing way. He not trying to get his readers to convert to his way of thinking, he is simply making his views heard in a world of fundamentalist Christain thinking. Instead of knocking Derren for his beliefs, why don't you try to question yours, you might learn something from this book.

[The Labour Humanist]

Erm I don't think you've read this post properly. I'm not criticising Brown, I am criticising his critics.