They say seeing is believing, but the opposite is true. Believing is seeing. - Errol Morris

Set up an arbitrary set of rules and then follow them slavishly.

Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Really? Human nature being what it is, isn't it hopeless to expect that we can do better regardless of whether we remember anything or not? And what if what we remember leads us to false analogies and misunderstandings? I prefer: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it without a sense of ironic futility." Or how about this: "Those who cannot condemn the past repeat it in order to remember it."

The Anosognosic’s Dilemma: Something’s Wrong but You’ll Never Know What It Is