Why do people reject science? Researchers shed new light on the topic.

[Total Power]

Perhaps the larger issue is why people deliberately bury their head in the sand, when they know full well the earth is spherical, and work under that assumption in most of their normal life. I get that as humans we have an uncanny ability to suspend disbelief, or believe in things that aren't supported by good evidence -(happens a lot in religion, gambling, relationships) - but the concept of actively trying to achieve that state, rather than see it for the anomaly it is - completely confounds me.

Evolution is one where most of them try to use pseudo science to disprove it. Every single anti-evolution argument i have read it boils down to 1. There is no evidence for macroevolution 2.Fish grew legs how is it possible.

Yep, every single one of them! Ask them for evidence, there is a long list of pseudo scientists and young earth creationists who are on it usuall.y

 

[Frank Bunn]

Perhaps the larger issue is why people deliberately bury their head in the sand, when they know full well the earth is spherical, and work under that assumption in most of their normal life. I get that as humans we have an uncanny ability to suspend disbelief, or believe in things that aren't supported by good evidence -(happens a lot in religion, gambling, relationships) - but the concept of actively trying to achieve that state, rather than see it for the anomaly it is - completely confounds me.

Humans are not logical beings, even scientists.

Is there an evolutionary advantage in illogical thinking such as religion?

 

[Boston tiger]

Humans are not logical beings, even scientists.

Is there an evolutionary advantage in illogical thinking such as religion?

If you can stretch it to intuitive thinkers opposed to logical thinkers and then forgive my broad attempt at making a point.

Intuitive thinkers ruled the earth. " I can't see a leopard behind that tree.. I can't smell a leopard behind that tree..I can't hear a leopard behind that tree. I just rekon there's a leopard behind that tree. Sometimes there was a leopard behind that tree.

The pure logical thinker got eaten or had to check every tree.

We have always trusted what we felt and the ability to tune into other people's feelings has been a huge importance in a social interactions.
The pure logical thinker is having his place in the sun at the moment with computers and not having to socialise in a traditional way. We value his skills and he can make money and find a mate. And good luck to him.

There's is a bit of data around about the advantages religion gave us in a social sense.

That's what I reckon.


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[bontshow]

Is there an evolutionary advantage in illogical thinking such as religion?

Yeah, keep plugging away when things turn to s**t with faith that things will turn around

People who give up don't succeed

 

[Long Live HFC]

Is there an evolutionary advantage in illogical thinking such as religion?

it's certainly possible. fear of the unknown was a survival trait. dawkins for instance says that anything that is widespread in a species (such as religion) must have conferred selective advantage otherwise it wouldn't be there.

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2010/05/09/did-religion-have-an-evolution/

 

[Total Power]

it's certainly possible. fear of the unknown was a survival trait. dawkins for instance says that anything that is widespread in a species (such as religion) must have conferred selective advantage otherwise it wouldn't be there.

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2010/05/09/did-religion-have-an-evolution/

Maybe that might explain why poorer countries tend to be more religious than the developed ones?

 

[Jackaaa]

Maybe that might explain why poorer countries tend to be more religious than the developed ones?

I reckon you'd also have to factor in attention spans and autism rates as well.


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[Total Power]

I reckon you'd also have to factor in attention spans and autism rates as well.


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Maybe but there is a direct coorelation between poverty and religion. Vast majority of the 3rd world is overly religious

The developed nations are much less religious and getting even lesser. Australia is a good example of this.

 

[Russian Demon]

Evolution is one where most of them try to use pseudo science to disprove it. Every single anti-evolution argument i have read it boils down to 1. There is no evidence for macroevolution 2.Fish grew legs how is it possible.

Yep, every single one of them! Ask them for evidence, there is a long list of pseudo scientists and young earth creationists who are on it usuall.y

Evolution is a little different to stuff like horoscopes or thinking Collingwood can win the flag next year:-

1) The majority of people who disagree do so because of theology, and the fact evolution is inconsistent with a literalist approach to the bible.
2) They simply don't understand it. Evolution is very poorly taught, and truely understanding the concept of natural selection is difficult. This micro evolution/macro evolution nonsense is half the problem. It implies that big changes occur in a single generation due to mutation, which is not true 99.99999% of the time.

 

[Russian Demon]

Humans are not logical beings, even scientists.

Is there an evolutionary advantage in illogical thinking such as religion?

Yeah I've read some study once on how the ability to act on belief in the absence of evidence has allowed certain discoveries/behaviors that help communities flourish. Setting out on a canoe when you can't see the next island for instance. Being willing to go beyond the point you can turn back in the hope of a better place, ect.

How it ties in with evolution I have no idea, but I doubt there is much out there but conjecture.

 

[grumbleguts]

The flat earth conspiracy theory has its own thread on the conspiracy board.

Those who continue to want to push that conspiracy theory on the science board will no longer have access here.

I finally got around to reading that thread. How do those poor people remember to breathe out.

Now I truly know what a waste of my time, arguing the point with them is. It's OK for rocks in your hand to be 3D, but the entire planet they make up? No way!

 

[Illinois Nazi]

I remember reading a flat earth website way back in the early days of the internet. The main impression I got from it was that the people behind it were really more interested in the intellectual process of constructing the argument and creating the model to fit the observable reality rather than actually believing it.

 

[Pessimistic]

When you think an average fife span was in the 30 40 years range. Even for survivors of infancy. Religion makes a lot more sense