The “Broken Window” theory of criminality is that when people observe disorder, they are more likely to engage in anti-social acts. Translated into an experiment, the principle was tested by George Kelling and his associates. They asked whether people would litter more where there is illegal graffiti and where others have littered. They have concluded [...]
It’s not so much that beliefs clash, but that the basis for believing clashes between those who embrace extradinary religious claims and those who don’t.
Over at Daylight Atheism, Ebonmuse illustrates this topic well, asking why the extraordinary events of the Bible, many of them allegedly witnessed by thousands, fell into a historical black hole. Here [...]
For many scientists who study it, religion should be placed into one of two camps: 1) religion is an aberration, a mental virus; or 2) religion is an adaptation–that religion enhanced the survival of Believers. A well-written article by Robin Marantz Henig explores this issue in the New York Times. The title is “HeavenBound: a [...]
