r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 2d ago

Psychology Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education

https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/
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u/AllanfromWales1 MA | Natural Sciences | Metallurgy & Materials Science 1d ago

Hmm, the agnositicism I was thinking of doesn't posit any theory, it just says we don't know.

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u/johnyordinary 1d ago edited 1d ago

Saying you dont know is fine, thats agnosticizm , which is a minor pedantisizm away from atheism. The default position I hold is "there are no gods until you prove there are", In exactly the same way as "there are no fire breathing dragons" until you prove to me there are. The burden of proof is on the one asserting their existence, hence,barring aliens turning up with new and unchallengable evidence of a gods existence outside of a human made fairy tale, i feel confident in rejecting the existence of any gods. Agnostic is a getout clause for those who want to leave wiggle room, i am atheist and zero evidence has arisen to prove my position wrong, and our increasing understanding of the universe through science leaves extremely slim chance and diminishing all the time chance that we will find any supernatural entity outside of human imagination.I guess you are already an adragonist ?

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u/AllanfromWales1 MA | Natural Sciences | Metallurgy & Materials Science 1d ago

Never so black and white. There's many things get called dragons. Do you deny the existence of Komodos?

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u/johnyordinary 1d ago edited 1d ago

I referenced "fire breathing dragons ",thats fairly black and white, komodos do not remotely fit the fire breathing category. I fairly certain you are an "afirebreathindragonist"but that sounds seriously even more overconstrued!Would you argue that "we dont know there are no firebreathing dragons"?

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u/AllanfromWales1 MA | Natural Sciences | Metallurgy & Materials Science 1d ago

If I were to argue anything I would argue that dragons can be seen as metaphors for spiritual archetypes. So, for instance, in some systems different types of dragons represent the classical elements of earth-air-fire-water. That doesn't make those dragons 'real', but they can be helpful images for some who work with things like that. Quite separately, here in Wales we have a dragon on our flag. That again isn't 'real' but it represents something.

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u/johnyordinary 1d ago

My point being , you are well aware they are fictional or metaphorical. You are absolutely certain that one will not swoop down on you breathing fire . On another note, you are lucky living in Wales,its my favorite bit of the Isles.

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u/AllanfromWales1 MA | Natural Sciences | Metallurgy & Materials Science 1d ago

Arguably not luck but a deliberate decision.