Atheism snookered by moral snap-judgements

[rug]

19 May 2014, 7.48 am BST
Rob Brooks
Professor of Evolutionary Ecology; Director, Evolution & Ecology Research Centre at UNSW Australia

When Jack was young, he began inflicting harm on animals. It started with just pulling the wings off flies, but eventually progressed to torturing squirrels and stray cats in his neighbourhood.

As an adult, Jack found that he did not get much thrill from harming animals, so he began hurting people instead. He has killed 5 homeless people that he abducted from poor neighbourhoods in his home city. Their dismembered bodies are currently buried in his basement.

Now, knowing what I have just told you about Jack, is it more probable that Jack is: A) A teacher. Or B) A teacher who does not believe in God?

If you answered “B”, you would not be alone. An average of 50 percent of people in a recent suite of experiments gave the same answer. The wrong answer.

http://theconversation.com/atheism-snookered-by-moral-snap-judgements-26855

[rock]

1. Your title makes it sound like atheists are more likely to get this wrong.

But that is not what your data and analysis indicates.

[AtheistCrusader]

2. Technically it's the author's title.

But I agree, it is badly worded.

[Rob H.]

9. I think "impeded" or "hindered" would've been better choices

That's certainly a badly-worded headline as-is.

[rug]

3. Your post sounds like you didn't read the byline.

[rock]

4. Whether you wrote it or not, it's yours

As I take it you posted it and therefore stand behind it.

[rug]

5. Now there's two things you're wrong about.

2 for 2.

[Prophet 451]

6. Not enough data to decide

Jack is clearly a psychopath. That is, he is without conscience, remorse, empathy or guilt. That doesn't necessarily incline him to either atheism or theism. Ergo, not enough data to decide.

[rug]

7. I agree with that.

Not to put to fine a point on it but he sounds more like a sociopath than a psychopath.

[Jim__]

8. No data is necessary to decide between the given choices. - n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

10. Yes, there absolutely is enough data to decide.

There is a non-zero chance that Jack is a teacher who believes in God.

Therefore, it must be more likely that he is a teacher than that he is a teacher who does not believe in God.