KevinFinnerty
10-14-2007, 10:21 PM
Just about all the studies I could find regarding this subject show that there is a strong positive correlation between level of education and atheism/agnosticism, while there is a strong negative correlation between level of education and belief in a religion. I'm well aware that correlation does not in and of itself imply causation, but I still think a strong case can be made that becoming educated causes one to be less inclined to believe in a religion. The key to establishing causation is determining specific reasons why one thing cause another thing, so lets try and do just that.
Well, I can think of a number of reasons, one being that the more educated someone becomes, the less likely they are to blindly obey their parents and other authority figures without questioning them, and the more likely they are to try and find their own answers to questions, like those concerning the nature of the universe. I don't think anyone can deny that a major factor in why people choose religions is to follow along with the rest of the family, and education encourages independent thought in lieu of simply looking to one's parents when wondering what to do or how to think.
Another reason that's actually pretty ironic is that the more educated you become, the more exposure you get to other religions. At first it would seem that this would make you more likely to be religious, but in actuality it makes you more likely to come to the (entirely correct) conclusion that one religion is no more credible than another and they all should just be ignored.
Yet another possible reason why education causes one to lean towards atheism/agnosticism is that being educated can make you mature enough to deal with notion that it's entirely possible we completely cease to exist when we die. I happen to think an inability, or unwillingness, to believe in such a notion is one of, if not, the main reasons why many people turn to religion.
To be honest, I can't think of any reason that tells me the relationship between level of education and atheism/agnosticism is one of strong positive correlation but not causation. I'd like to hear if anybody else can think of one. I have a feeling bible thumpers will say that the more education you receive, the more likely you are to come in contact with god haters, but I'd respond by saying there must be reasons why places where education is dispensed are more likely to be populated by these so-called god haters, and I've already explained what I believe to be the reasons why this is the case.
One other thing I think illustrates the way becoming more educated makes you more likely to dismiss religion is the following saying, which I've seen in various forms and wordings but with the same message: The more you know, the more you realize you don't know. Educated people are just much more likely to accept that we have literally no way of knowing which, if any, religion is correct, yet religious people have so much hubris that they get insulted when you suggest this to them. At the risk of sounding condescending, I honestly think a lot of the religious people who are unwilling to recognize that there's nothing shameful or dishonorable with accepting that we don't know how we came to be on this planet would become more willing if they were more educated.
Well, I can think of a number of reasons, one being that the more educated someone becomes, the less likely they are to blindly obey their parents and other authority figures without questioning them, and the more likely they are to try and find their own answers to questions, like those concerning the nature of the universe. I don't think anyone can deny that a major factor in why people choose religions is to follow along with the rest of the family, and education encourages independent thought in lieu of simply looking to one's parents when wondering what to do or how to think.
Another reason that's actually pretty ironic is that the more educated you become, the more exposure you get to other religions. At first it would seem that this would make you more likely to be religious, but in actuality it makes you more likely to come to the (entirely correct) conclusion that one religion is no more credible than another and they all should just be ignored.
Yet another possible reason why education causes one to lean towards atheism/agnosticism is that being educated can make you mature enough to deal with notion that it's entirely possible we completely cease to exist when we die. I happen to think an inability, or unwillingness, to believe in such a notion is one of, if not, the main reasons why many people turn to religion.
To be honest, I can't think of any reason that tells me the relationship between level of education and atheism/agnosticism is one of strong positive correlation but not causation. I'd like to hear if anybody else can think of one. I have a feeling bible thumpers will say that the more education you receive, the more likely you are to come in contact with god haters, but I'd respond by saying there must be reasons why places where education is dispensed are more likely to be populated by these so-called god haters, and I've already explained what I believe to be the reasons why this is the case.
One other thing I think illustrates the way becoming more educated makes you more likely to dismiss religion is the following saying, which I've seen in various forms and wordings but with the same message: The more you know, the more you realize you don't know. Educated people are just much more likely to accept that we have literally no way of knowing which, if any, religion is correct, yet religious people have so much hubris that they get insulted when you suggest this to them. At the risk of sounding condescending, I honestly think a lot of the religious people who are unwilling to recognize that there's nothing shameful or dishonorable with accepting that we don't know how we came to be on this planet would become more willing if they were more educated.