What is your belief system?

Writing for the Critical Review in 1964 on the nature of belief systems in mass publics, the sociologist Philip Converse defined a belief system as ‘a configuration of ideas and attitudes in which the elements are bound together by some form of constraint or functional interdependence’. In other words, this is the set of all beliefs you hold about all aspects of life in general, and how these beliefs shape one another and where they lie within the boundaries defined by one another. It is intense.

The turn of a year often sees people noting down their annual resolutions, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to consider something a bit deeper, a bit different this time. Behind any set of resolutions is an underlying belief system. So what is my belief system? Could taking stock of my belief system at the end of a year help me make better New Year’s resolutions come January? Or could it perhaps override resolutions entirely?

So what do I believe? This question has no clear point from where to start answering it. I believe in doing the right thing always and as far as possible. To many readers I might as well have just opened a can of worms. Doing the right thing is mostly simple but can occasionally pose tough choices—especially in the face of ethical quandary.

To do the right thing includes allowing the right thing for others; this means recognising individual liberties, recognising the importance of society, and recognising that we will all survive when we come closer, fill in gaps, and support one another. This works everywhere, from ensuring equality and respect for people in our homes all the way to preventing sickening wealth gaps in society at large. All of this amounts to doing the right thing.

Moreover, I want to believe that other people believe in doing the right thing, that everyone wants to do good, it is simply a matter of whether they want to do it for themselves or for everyone. There is a hint of utilitarianism, or better still naivité, in this belief, but it is one of those nearly irrational ideas that keeps my days bright and hopeful, so I shall allow myself some indulgence.

It is just as important to recognise what beliefs are not while we talk about what our beliefs are. One does not get to “believe” in science or in climate change or in objective truths. These simply exist and they do not care about your opinions or beliefes. Thet are, your beliefs are irrelevant. This is the result of mainstream media reporting on science right next to politics: people conflate the distinct concepts of objective consensus and individual opinion. Politics is full of opinions and beliefs; science is objective consensus—you do not get to choose whether you believe in it or not—and sound reasoning speaks for itself.

On a personal level, I believe that physical and mental health are important and that we owe it to ourselves to protect them. Regular exercise, however mild or intense, and moments of uninterrupted focus are things we should find time for every single day without fail. Some beliefs write themselves into resolutions.

On a global, non-personal level I believe we are setting ourselves up for a drop in IQ across the board. We are one of the earlier generations of people who, as a group, might lose knowlegde of how things function and either end up rediscovering the wheel or settling for half-baked alternatives. Generally, I believe—and I confess I have no data to back this up—we are inching closer to an idiocracy.

And on a personal level I want to believe in myself. I sometimes lack this, and at other times I am at a loss of how I could possibly communicate what I know I am capable of doing. To believe in oneself is to be able to market onself, and I am quite poor at marketing myself. I suppose the best place to start is by believing in yourself and in the work you do.

I want to reflect on my belief system regularly over the next year and return to see if I have changed in any way by the end of 2025. Perhaps I found my New Year’s resolutions after all.