--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Nelson" <nelsonriddle2...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Latest theory, from New Scientist: > > > > > > This is fascinating. > > > > > > Religion is an inescapable artefact of the > > > wiring in our brain, says Bloom. "All humans > > > possess the brain circuitry and that never > > > goes away." Petrovich adds that even adults > > > who describe themselves as atheists and > > > agnostics are prone to supernatural thinking. > > > Bering has seen this too. When one of his > > > students carried out interviews with > > > atheists, it became clear that they often > > > tacitly attribute purpose to significant or > > > traumatic moments in their lives, as if some > > > agency were intervening to make it happen. > > > "They don't completely exorcise the ghost of > > > god - they just muzzle it," Bering says. > > > > > > I can relate to this. I still have a magical > > > thought process that pops up sometimes about > > > events. Then I laugh at myself for my own > > > conditioning. > > > > But he's saying it's not conditioning; it's > > hard-wired. > > > Maybe we are all segments of the main program?
Evolutionarily hardwired. But of course we are constantly evolving a I do think that this tendency towards believing in supernatural forces is reinforced by the fact that humans are pattern spotters, with the unfortunate side effect of seeing patterns when there are none. Also, the tendency towards justification may be a part of finding "purpose" in certain events. Don't forget Darwin Day February 12! >
