I think most people have difficulty with skepticism. And I don't find atheists to necessarily be all that much better at it than other people.
That correlation does not equal causation is a very difficult concept for most people and we are all guilty of ignoring it from time to time. Peoples' brains are emotionally wired for associative reasoning. It's the default fear mode that kept us alive during much of the prehistoric period. Not all rustling leaves are tigers, but he who run from all rustling leaves lives longer.
We are also wired to prefer connected stories to raw data. We love stories.
The news tends to consist of anecdotal evidence, and associative reasoning told as stories. It's impact is three quarters emotional with a little logical window dressing.
Science/skepticism on the other hand is hard. You have to suppress your emotional response to examine whether the data really supports the conclusion.
That correlation does not equal causation is a very difficult concept for most people and we are all guilty of ignoring it from time to time. Peoples' brains are emotionally wired for associative reasoning. It's the default fear mode that kept us alive during much of the prehistoric period. Not all rustling leaves are tigers, but he who run from all rustling leaves lives longer.
We are also wired to prefer connected stories to raw data. We love stories.
The news tends to consist of anecdotal evidence, and associative reasoning told as stories. It's impact is three quarters emotional with a little logical window dressing.
Science/skepticism on the other hand is hard. You have to suppress your emotional response to examine whether the data really supports the conclusion.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
