system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Are most cult leaders true believers or atheist con artists skilled at psychological manipulation?
gpt
Going meta: This is an area where social science is weak. The privately held views of historical figures cannot be studied in a convincing way because all sources could hold lies or truths. There is no way to independently validate a historical person's stated opinions about internal thoughts. (Liars have incentives to be believed that can include playing complex mind games with source materials. Honest folks look just the same a as a good liar by definition, and just because one is honest about spiritual convictions, it doesn't mean one will be honest in any other aspect of life.) When no evidence can convincingly clarify any particular case, identifying social trends has a *very* soft footing to stand on.