What percentage of "athiesm" is genetic?
- Thread starter Michael
- Start date
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
None.
The question should be "What percentage of "thiesm" is genetic?".
Atheism is the natural state, it assumes nothing.
Theism is probably heavily influenced by nurture though.
So I would guess that about 20% of your genetic makeup would directly determine whether or not you discard theism at a later age. This is based on absolutely nothing though
Strictly seen though, it's 100%. Your genetic makeup is indirectly responsible for everything about you. Your genetic makeup provides all the potentials.
I'd say 0%
I'd say believing might be based on genetics but only if mental illness runs in your family. You might think god was talking to you.
superstring01
Moderator
I disagree.
I had a catholic nun beat those genes out of me
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
I don't think you understand just how quickly we are progressing in neurosciences.
You do agree that mood is largely affected by genetics?
I agree.None.
The question should be "What percentage of "thiesm" is genetic?".
Atheism is the natural state, it assumes nothing.
Theism is probably heavily influenced by nurture though.
So I would guess that about 20% of your genetic makeup would directly determine whether or not you discard theism at a later age. This is based on absolutely nothing though
Strictly seen though, it's 100%. Your genetic makeup is indirectly responsible for everything about you. Your genetic makeup provides all the potentials.
Will we be shocked to find out it's much much higher than 20%? Perhaps S.A.M. has a 2% chance of being athiest whereas we have a 87% chance?
In Western philosophy- no.
Who's we?
I was thinking Enmos, I and other atheists. However, yea, it was figurative.
The point is, we now understand some of the genetic component of phenotypes such as color blindness, shyness, depression, etc.. and someday atheism (or should we say theism?) will be in that group as well.
Proclivity towards atheism/theism has a genetic component.
It's interesting, I was speaking to someone just today, and she mentioned she "couldn't" believe in God, even if she wanted to. She just couldn't do it and she never could. Ever since she was a child, she didn't then and doesn't now.
Me on the other hand, I always thought there was a Jesus but I always thought God seemed a bit bullshit. It never did fully resonate with the logical part of me.
And these people might come from genetically theist groups, which, in fact, everyone did not that long ago.
I rather doubt that. I would guess parent beliefs, TV and other media and what is on those media, beliefs of close peer group members and so on will correlate even higher than any genetic component, even amongst adopted children.
So you say.
And just as any religious person would face this response - that is anecdotal evidence.
Ibid and inconclusive. People are notoriously poor judges of why they believe things.
As most atheists are people who once believed in something and then switched to atheism due to having no compelling evidence of a God, I'd say that it's not at all genetic. If it were genetic, then we'd have a rather constant number of atheistic people throughout history. That is not the case, however. There are more atheists now than ever before, which means that it's due to times-a-changing.
How do we know this is the case. Most of the atheists I know reacted specifically against the 'church' of their parents and the religion of their parents. Later, after having become specific atheists - disbelieving, for example, in the Bible and the Christian version of God, they broadened this, usually still thinking of the dominant monotheisms. You can see this in online discussion forums where most atheists assume that their position is best shown by taking on the Bible, rather than theism in a broad sense. Of course they can shift and do this also, some of them at least, but the 'reaction against the organized monotheisms' seems like the largest factor in the creation of atheists other than communism.
ok so now we have "mood".
I guess all we need now is a definition of a/theism that can be summed up by issues pertinent to mood and the behavioral genetic studies can begin.
We do know that depression has a genetic component. Familiar suicide is well documented.
I am 100% sure that certain mathematical aptitudes have a genetic component. I think the same can be said of artistic tendency (dance for example).
Some people see flavor in color. That is, some colors have a "taste".
Lets suppose that atheism isn't default. Perhaps theism is default. Atheism may arise from complex thought patters that only now does the majority or people in society experience. I wonder how many atheists from 2000 years ago were illiterate and how many were literate for example?
wise acre, yes, that was anecdotal evidence which is different than scientific but is usually where we look first when we think about running a scientific study to determine the truth.
also, yes, people are notoriously poor judges of why they believe things and I'm beginning to think we've taken for granted this idea that WE are the prime motivators behind all of our thoughts.
I am 100% sure that certain mathematical aptitudes have a genetic component. I think the same can be said of artistic tendency (dance for example).
Some people see flavor in color. That is, some colors have a "taste".
Lets suppose that atheism isn't default. Perhaps theism is default. Atheism may arise from complex thought patters that only now does the majority or people in society experience. I wonder how many atheists from 2000 years ago were illiterate and how many were literate for example?
wise acre, yes, that was anecdotal evidence which is different than scientific but is usually where we look first when we think about running a scientific study to determine the truth.
also, yes, people are notoriously poor judges of why they believe things and I'm beginning to think we've taken for granted this idea that WE are the prime motivators behind all of our thoughts.
mood is easily affected by hormones and chemicals whose equilibrium are tightly regulated by genes. I think most people can at least agree there are Great and Shitty moods!ok so now we have "mood".
I guess all we need now is a definition of a/theism that can be summed up by issues pertinent to mood and the behavioral genetic studies can begin.
some people also pretend they are a fireman when weeing
the behavioral genetic studies for a/theism are still waiting to begin .....