Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA01003 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 22 Sep 2001 22:55:29 +0100 X-Originating-IP: [209.240.220.143] From: "Scott Chase" <ecphoric@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Dawkins was right all along Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 17:47:43 -0400 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <F137tCmY6iR9mzLnwsV0000320e@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 22 Sep 2001 21:47:43.0770 (UTC) FILETIME=[35B8E7A0:01C143B0] Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>From: Bill Spight <bspight@pacbell.net>
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>Subject: Re: Dawkins was right all along
>Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 11:17:19 -0700
>
>Dear Wade,
>
> > "Beliefs, including religious ones, are learned. Which makes atheism a
> > normal state of affairs and religious beliefs a learned "abnormality".
>No
> > psychological theory is necessary to explain the causes of a normal base
> > state. Any psychological theory of learning, attitude change or
> > socialization can explain the causes of religious belief."
> > - Rosemary Lyndall, clinical neuro-psychologist
> >
>
>Dr. Lyndall is confusing no belief in God with belief that there is no
>God. Ever worse, she shows an ignorance of child psychology. Children
>have many beliefs that are not learned. Anyone who has studied Piaget
>knows that. The innate mind is not a tabula rasa.
>
>There was a time when I was a child that I thought that chocolate milk
>came from calves. ;-) Nobody taught me that. Children form beliefs as
>they try to make sense of the world. Learning is only part of the
>process, and a good bit of learning involves unlearning misconceptions.
>
You may have learned what chocolate milk was and what calves were and made
an erroneous association between the two. Learning played a role in this
association, providing your young mind with notions of "chocolate milk" and
"calves". In your quest for order in your world you may have mistaught
yourself that calves make chocolate milk based on aan assumption. Maybe the
spontaneity of this misassumption arose innately?
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