This goes back to my original point. The idea that life has a supernatural origin comes from human culture. Suppose there's a culture where this idea never arose. Would it be an act of belief from someone of that culture if they did not believe the assertion, once it is made to them, that life has a supernatural origin?
What do the people in this hypothetical culture believe? Do they believe that life came about due to the laws of physics and nature or do they very hypothetically just not have any beliefs about the origin of life.
I do not think this analogy holds, because there's evidence that people are inclined to believe in gods, ancestor spirits, ghosts, vampires, witches, and so on, because of the way our brains work. Any supernatural being which is not a variation on those already conceived of by various human cultures will seem to us very much like the Flying Spaghetti Monster does -- as an arbitrary creation not deserving of creedence.
New ideas are never accepted immediately. In terms of religion, (while there are exceptions) it generally takes on the order of hundreds of years for any new ideas to be given any sort credence. That, however, does not mean that no new ideas are not possible nor that all will fail to reach that mark, it simply means they won't reach that mark quickly.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-04-13 05:07 pm (UTC)What do the people in this hypothetical culture believe? Do they believe that life came about due to the laws of physics and nature or do they very hypothetically just not have any beliefs about the origin of life.
I do not think this analogy holds, because there's evidence that people are inclined to believe in gods, ancestor spirits, ghosts, vampires, witches, and so on, because of the way our brains work. Any supernatural being which is not a variation on those already conceived of by various human cultures will seem to us very much like the Flying Spaghetti Monster does -- as an arbitrary creation not deserving of creedence.
New ideas are never accepted immediately. In terms of religion, (while there are exceptions) it generally takes on the order of hundreds of years for any new ideas to be given any sort credence. That, however, does not mean that no new ideas are not possible nor that all will fail to reach that mark, it simply means they won't reach that mark quickly.