mothman prophecies

ToK analysis of Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman prophecies is an example of how various things come together to formulate one’s beliefs. In the story, a tall, mysterious man arrives at the doorstep of a couple in Virginia. It was a dark stormy night, and the mysterious guest’s car had broken down on the way. He wanted to make a telephone call and knocked on the nearest doorstep.
The couple was quite taken aback when they first saw the mysterious stranger. Since they had never come across a tall, bearded man on a stormy night before, they perceived him to be someone dangerous. The image of the man was frightening, and thus it aroused emotions of fear in the couple.
The prevailing religious beliefs supported the existence of the devil. The image of the stranger immediately reminded them of the devil. The couple then told their experience to their friends. They too reasoned that the image of the stranger was coherent to the concept of an evil devil. Also, an accident took place in the days that followed. This further convinced the couple and their friends that it was in fact the devil who had given them a surprise visit and done an evil deed in the form of an accident. In this case, the coherence truth test was utilized.
This is a fitting example of how our perception is strongly influenced by our expectations and existing beliefs.