There have been several decades of research claiming to support the hypothesis that atheists are more intelligent than Christians. However, there is a growing consensus that this research is not measuring intelligence, which is
controversial in itself, but
greater dependence on intuition rather than logic and reason in thinking and decision-making by the religious (
link)(
link). In addition, there is criticism of the methods used and the interpretation of the results in these, and other, studies of intelligence (
link).
Given the above, some are concluding that appropriate
cognitive training may help in changing the way the religious think (
link). Seems like support for the teaching of
critical thinking skills to me. Albert Einstein agreed:
"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."
I agree with Einstein. One of several evidences of higher intelligence in non-theists is their adaptation to our natural world, one in which no supernatural powers intervene. Their higher intelligence (as a population) allowed them to depart the theism of their youth.
ReplyDeleteWhen best scientific experiments fail to prove a hypothesis, they most often simply fail to prove it, rather than disproving it.
ReplyDeleteDepending upon logic and reasoning when making decisions facilitates adapting to new circumstances. Changing thus, as Einstein says is a measure of higher intelligence.
Mark, thanks for the spot-on comments. My main complaint about intelligence tests is that what they are measuring is not raw intelligence but a brain that has been influenced by imput from the individual's circumstances (i.e. income level, access to education, influences of indoctrination, et al).
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