College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Upcoming Events

 

Are Atheists Normal?( Reflections on(the Cognitive Science of Religion

Date: January 25, 2013
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: B-LL-110 MAK

PHI Dept. Colloquium ************

Friday January 25 at 3:00pm in Mackinac Hall BLL-110 (Basement)

Are Atheists Normal?(  Reflections on(the Cognitive Science of Religion

((Kelly Clark (

(Kaufman Interfaith Institute & GVSU Philosophy)

 

Abstract: We know well the atheistic attempts of Marx, Nietzsche and Freud to explain religion away. Atheism, on the other hand, has gotten a free pass. However, recent studies in the cognitive science of atheism claim to show that atheism is correlated with, perhaps even caused by, a cognitive deficiency. But the cognitive science of religion holds that religious belief is both normal and natural. If religious belief is normal, are atheists and agnostics normal?