Interesting ... Religious-People-Are-Less-Intelligent-Than-Atheists

[joko]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/religious-people-are-less-intelligent-than-atheists-according-to-analysis-of-scores-of-scientific-studies-stretching-back-over-decades-8758046.html

[chrisgel]

But not surprising.

[naomi24]

You're opening a can of worms with this one!

[Buenchico]

Interesting?

Some of us would say that it's self-evident!

[atalanta]

If you are prepared to let other people do your thinking for you, and give you the conclusions you ought to work out for yourself, you can't be very bright, can you ?

[Baldric]

No surprises there then!

[Old_Geezer]

Without looking at the link, could it be a larger gullible contingent in one group dragging its average down ?

[wolf63]

My psychiatrist told me that having a obsessive* interest in religion is a good sign of mental illness.

* obsessive is not the right word- an strong interest in or more than a passing interest in maybe.

[Old_Geezer]

Every vicar mentally ill then :-)

[pixie373]

It isn't surprising due to the way we're measuring intelligence. In their defence, i don't think most believers think it out in a rational, intelligent way. It is faith. Although I'm a non-believer, i am wary of studies like these, as humans have far too many variable factors and religion is not the only difference between these individuals.

[naomi24]

Pixie, but if science says it, it must be right. No? ;o)

[Octavius]

The most illuminating element of that article is that they didn't accompany the article with a muslim at prayer. Do you think the Independent were too scared!

OG, fair point, putting a poor religious person from Cameroon in parity with a european atheist academic would certainly promote the superiority complex of the avg. atheist cause. There definition of religioisty would also include many of our learned R&S antitheists.

[joko]

haha I know Naomi!

Atlanta - you're dead right - that's the problem with Religion in a nutshell ...

i'd say that's right for a good many of them wolf.

pixie - but its the very fact that they completely dedicate their lives to something that they have not properly thought through - that falls down under any scrutiny, that millions are telling them its ridiculous etc - that makes them less intelligent.
if you buy a house and don't get a survey - you're a fool,
if you buy a car and don't check it out properly - you're a fool,
if you get a job you cannot do because you have not learned properly - you are a fool.
if you fall for an online scam because you haven't checked out - you are a fool - worse still if you do check it out, but don't listen to the warnings you are even more of a fool.
Fortunately all the above can be 'got over' - religion takes over peoples lives and is not that easy to 'get over'.

[chrisgel]

Octavius //The most illuminating element of that article is that they didn't accompany the article with a muslim at prayer. Do you think the Independent were too scared! us - //
No specific religion mentioned in the article. Not even Christian so not a valid point.
Interesting how quick you seized on a chance to smear the article rather than comment on the contents though.

[pixie373]

Lol. No, Naomi. Statistics can be found to support more or less anything. We aren't talking about evidence here, which is what i would normally want to believe something.

I just don't think intelligence is part of religion and that there are many different kinds of intelligence.

[chrisgel]

OG - //Every vicar mentally ill then//

Of course not. Some of them are hypocrites.

[pixie373]

You can be mentally ill and intelligent.

[naomi24]

Pixie, I don’t want to get into the old debate – that would have the potential of throwing this thread off course - but the findings there were based on statistics too, and in that instance you found that method completely acceptable. Strange. Just thought I’d mention it.

[pixie373]

Sorry, Naomi. Not sure which statistics. I don't think statistics for humans can be completely accurate, as all other factors have to be the same in a scientific experiment, except the one you're testing. That never happens with people.

[naomi24]

Pixie, //all other factors have to be the same in a scientific experiment//

I did mention that previously … but not to worry. We’ll get on with this thread. It will be interesting to hear what the ‘scientists’ have to say.

[jim360]

Ah, those irritating news headline 'quotes'...

I don't necessarily want to dispute the result itself, but the way the story has been reported is somewhat misleading. If the average religious believer is less intelligent by some measures than the average atheist, that doesn't necessarily mean that "atheists are more intelligent than religious people". It carries the same sort of meaning as "women are more [insert quality here] than men". There is some natural variation around that, and the statement, while it has some truth, is misleading.

In that sense, then, this is both similar too, and different from, "the old debate", whatever that may be. Similar, because of the (attempted) application of rigour to analysing an idea. Different, because the conclusion is being given to us by a paper and I don't know if I support the way the headline is phrased.

Unfortunately, the actual study appears to be trapped behind a paywall, so I can't make any more specific comments.