tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26188478.post6895162389917547224..comments2024-03-24T21:25:13.059-07:00Comments on Inductivist: Liberal education predicts skepticism about the Bible, net of IQRon Guhnamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06421460508647618774noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26188478.post-4712720034623973652011-07-25T15:15:54.614-07:002011-07-25T15:15:54.614-07:00Of course, a Christian would also include stubborn...<i>Of course, a Christian would also include stubbornness/rebelliousness.</i><br /><br />Oh, non-Christians do too. That's certainly a character trait. And like most (perhaps all) traits, it's at least partly genetic. The only difference is whether we view resistance to indoctrination as a good thing or a bad thing.<br /><br />Quite a few atheists are actually believers by nature. And this includes quite a few "professional atheists" who make a living representing atheism. They have simply found a different outlet for their religious impulse, a different authority to subject themselves to. (eg. Feminism, Marxism, environmentalism.) The whole Rebecca Watson affair is a perfect example of religious groupthink in an "atheist" context.<br /><br />Genuine stiff-necked people are rare. And possibly handicapped, as amenability to authority is useful for group survival, and thus selection. (And yes, I do accept group selection. It doesn't matter how fit you are as an individual, if you're part of a tribe that can't work together, you'll be wiped out with the rest when the tribe that can cooperate raids your village with their superior tactics/strategy.) But every society also needs a few renegades for health. A few who won't drink the Flavor-Ade. The reserves, the backup, the plan B.<br /><br />I don't think you get to choose. If you were born with a need to follow authority, you'll find one, and if you weren't, you'll spend your life kicking against the pricks. I come from a long line of the latter, whose environment selected them for that trait. I think it's a good thing, but then I would, wouldn't I? No doubt those selected for the opposite feel the same way.<br /><br />They both have their place, and I suspect humanity will always have a mix, a majority of those with a religious impulse to follow authority and accept what they're told, and a small minority of stiff-necked people to serve as a check and a backup.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15164612896234645132noreply@blogger.com