RE: new thread for old RE: Atheists, what do you believe is the best argument for the existence of a deity?
January 1, 2013 at 12:47 pm
I don't think anyone is denying the fact that people believe in things that cannot be demonstrated outside personal experience, but this belief does not constitute evidence for the existence of the thing believed. The evolved abilities of belief and pattern recognition combined with the well established idea of self-deception results in people believing all manner of things: bigfoot, alien visitors, homeopathic remedies, apocalyptic prognostications, etc.
Here's a good primer:
http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer...ption.html
More in depth reading:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/self-deception/
Here's a good primer:
http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer...ption.html
More in depth reading:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/self-deception/