(August 5, 2011 at 8:32 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote: A lot of prominent skeptics have written articles and books about this topic. You could probably find a little comfort and some information about it in Michael Shermer's books, and the like. Our brains are hardwired, in a way, for belief. It's not something to be embarrassed about - atheists and skeptics alike will sometimes have superstitions or little rituals they perform for comfort, which is all I take praying to be.
At least, I think Shermer's are the ones I want to recommend... I'm just waking up from sleeping off the tail-end of a medicated migraine. Someone correct me if I'm off-base.
I'm reading 'The Believing Brain' right now which is his latest book. While he hasn't specifically addressed prayer, he does mention that no one is immune to this kind of irrational thinking, including himself. The difference between the rational and irrational person is the ability to notice when your brain is being irrational. Our brains are far from perfect and have been shaped by evolution to see patterns and causation where there is none. Our brains are amazingly complex and flawed and the only thing we can do is consciously keep it in check.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
