The claim that genuine atheists do not exist is something we might associate with an extreme religious viewpoint – with, for example, those who point out that the Bible proves everyone is actually aware of God. A few months ago, however, a science writer by the name of Nury Vittachi argued that according to current psychological theories these religionists might very well be correct (“Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke”). The idea is that human beings are psychologically predisposed to be believers and that therefore at some level, perhaps we all are.
The mere claim that science backs up a view isn't enough to establish it, however: there must be actual scientific evidence. And yet, a brief look at Vittachi's article shows that he doesn't present any.
To begin with, what he ends up arguing is that perhaps we all have “metaphysical” or “spiritual” beliefs of some sort or other, which is different from stating that none of us are atheists. Believing in karma or in auras may be silly, but it is perfectly compatible with atheism. That difference might, incidentally, explain the obvious contradiction found in the very first sentence of Vittachi's article, which reads, "While militant atheists like Richard Dawkins may be convinced God doesn't exist, God, if he is around, may be amused to find that atheists might not exist."
Even worse, Vittachi doesn't present good evidence that all of us believe in some metaphysical mumbo jumbo either. He doesn't even provide good evidence that a majority of those who consider themselves atheists accept such things; he merely mentions some statistics which show that quite a few non-religious people have spiritual beliefs – which isn't really news. And he appeals to, among other things, the fact that even atheists participate in funeral rituals, that we all have a “need for periods of contemplative calm,” and that works of fiction usually present good triumphing over evil. (The latter, he says, implies that one purpose of fiction is to “establish” that some kind of cosmic justice exists.) The only problem is that none of this shows that we accept a spiritual reality – as of course should be obvious to everyone. Does enjoying watching Bruce Willis triumph over the bad guys in Die Hard really make you a spiritual person?
Apparently, human beings do have a psychological predisposition to suppose there are gods, immaterial souls, and so on. This explains the prevalence of religion. But of course it doesn't follow from this that we are all believers. A predisposition is just that; it is not a guarantee.
The mere claim that science backs up a view isn't enough to establish it, however: there must be actual scientific evidence. And yet, a brief look at Vittachi's article shows that he doesn't present any.
To begin with, what he ends up arguing is that perhaps we all have “metaphysical” or “spiritual” beliefs of some sort or other, which is different from stating that none of us are atheists. Believing in karma or in auras may be silly, but it is perfectly compatible with atheism. That difference might, incidentally, explain the obvious contradiction found in the very first sentence of Vittachi's article, which reads, "While militant atheists like Richard Dawkins may be convinced God doesn't exist, God, if he is around, may be amused to find that atheists might not exist."
Even worse, Vittachi doesn't present good evidence that all of us believe in some metaphysical mumbo jumbo either. He doesn't even provide good evidence that a majority of those who consider themselves atheists accept such things; he merely mentions some statistics which show that quite a few non-religious people have spiritual beliefs – which isn't really news. And he appeals to, among other things, the fact that even atheists participate in funeral rituals, that we all have a “need for periods of contemplative calm,” and that works of fiction usually present good triumphing over evil. (The latter, he says, implies that one purpose of fiction is to “establish” that some kind of cosmic justice exists.) The only problem is that none of this shows that we accept a spiritual reality – as of course should be obvious to everyone. Does enjoying watching Bruce Willis triumph over the bad guys in Die Hard really make you a spiritual person?
Apparently, human beings do have a psychological predisposition to suppose there are gods, immaterial souls, and so on. This explains the prevalence of religion. But of course it doesn't follow from this that we are all believers. A predisposition is just that; it is not a guarantee.
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