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Atheism and the brain (view source)
Revision as of 03:20, November 1, 2015
, 03:20, November 1, 2015→Causes of autism related to factors which exist in secular societies in the developed world
First, people with higher scores on the [[Autism-spectrum quotient|Autism Spectrum Quotient]] (items included "I am fascinated by numbers," and "I find social situations [difficult]") had weaker belief in a personal God. Second, reduced ability to mentalize mediated this correlation. (Mentalizing was measured with the Empathy Quotient, which assesses self-reported ability to recognize and react to others' emotions, and with a task that requires identifying what's being expressed in pictures of eyes. Systematizing -- interest in and aptitude for mechanical and abstract systems -- was correlated with autism but was not a mediator.) Third, men were much less likely than women to say they strongly believed in a personal God (even controlling for autism), and this correlation was also mediated by reduced mentalizing.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-hutson/autism-atheism_b_1557098.html Are People With Autism More Likely to Be Atheists?] by Matthew Hutson, Huffington Post</ref>}}
First, people with higher scores on the [[Autism-spectrum quotient|Autism Spectrum Quotient]] (items included "I am fascinated by numbers," and "I find social situations [difficult]") had weaker belief in a personal God. Second, reduced ability to mentalize mediated this correlation. (Mentalizing was measured with the Empathy Quotient, which assesses self-reported ability to recognize and react to others' emotions, and with a task that requires identifying what's being expressed in pictures of eyes. Systematizing -- interest in and aptitude for mechanical and abstract systems -- was correlated with autism but was not a mediator.) Third, men were much less likely than women to say they strongly believed in a personal God (even controlling for autism), and this correlation was also mediated by reduced mentalizing.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-hutson/autism-atheism_b_1557098.html Are People With Autism More Likely to Be Atheists?] by Matthew Hutson, Huffington Post</ref>}}
=== Atheist PZ Myers' blog audience and their reported Asperger's quotient test results ===
[[File:PZ Myers.jpg|thumbnail|165px|right|[[PZ Myers]] ]]
[[Vox Day]] has written about atheists being "socially autistic".<ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2007/08/socially-autistic-atheist.html The socially autistic atheist] by [[Vox Day]], August 02, 2007</ref><ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-lesson-in-atheist-social-autism.html A lesson in atheist social autism] by [[Vox Day]], August 13, 2014</ref><ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2012/08/atheists-and-daddy-issues.html Atheists and Daddy issues] by Vox Day, August 23, 2012</ref>
[[Asperger's syndrome]] (sometimes referred to as "High-Functioning Autism" or "HFA") is an umbrella term used to classify problematic behaviours similar to, but less severe than, those within the lower reaches of the [[Autism|autistic spectrum]].
Day wrote concerning atheist [[PZ Myers]]' blog audience:
{{cquote|It's by no means a scientific test, but it is interesting to note the coincidence that 59 of the virulent atheists over at Dr. PZ Myers place [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/08/01/im-mostly-normal/#comments report an average score] on the [http://www.piepalace.ca/blog/asperger-test-aq-test Asperger's Quotient test] of 27.8. And this does not include the two individuals who actually have Asperger's but did not report any test results."
As PZ himself said: "I took the test and scored a 24, an “average math contest winner.” You need a 32 to suggest Asperger’s, and a 15 is the average. So there. I don’t have Asperger’s, I’m just cruel and insensitive."<ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2014/08/pz-admits-hes-wrong.html PZ admits he's wrong] by Theodore Beale, Friday, August 29, 2014</ref>}}
=== Causes of autism related to factors which exist in secular societies in the developed world ===
=== Causes of autism related to factors which exist in secular societies in the developed world ===