Are atheists more intelligent than believers?

[_sock puppet]

Yes, it was a clever catch. All that i before e except after c BS I was taught in grade school remains ingrained.

So much for analyzing your thoughts and habits more than average believers, eh?

I know, I know, you admitted you made a mistake. However, unlike some things, I bet you'll repeat this particular mistake. ;)

Yes, I am sure that a simple spelling error should be induced to an indictment against my entire mental abilities. Is that the same kind of inductive reasoning you've used to remain Mormon?

[_asbestosman]

Is that the same kind of inductive reasoning you've used to remain Mormon?

Of course. My reasoning is as follows:

P1 Teh church is twoo.
P2 If teh churc is twoo, I shood b a Mowerman
Q1: I b a Mowerman.
Q.F.C.

[_sock puppet]

Is the difference statistically significant, though?

It depends on the study. Wikipedia has a collection of a few different studies on the question here.

Thanks for the link. It is certainly interesting. The statistical sampling of the IQ measure involved 6825 American adolescents. (Sample sizes from other countries were not noted, at least at the level of the wikipedia treatment.) That's pretty meager, in my opinion, to draw much by way of conclusions on such a thin margin (6 pts given the numerical range (200) of the IQ continuum), when projecting onto a population of 300m+. It's been quite a while since my statitistics courses in college, but I would think that you'd have a margin of error of 2 to 3 pts. That might leave a statistical margin of 4 to 3 pts. Not much to brag about for us atheists when are ranks have swelled due to recent migration.

I think mac's point about recent migrations towards atheism suggesting that there's been more thought to the question of religion devoted by atheists recently than religionists sounds right. That seems pretty intuitive. It does not seem to me intuitive that atheism would outscore religionists on IQ tests.

[_sock puppet]

Is the difference statistically significant, though?

It depends on the study. Wikipedia has a collection of a few different studies on the question here.

Thanks for the link. It is certainly interesting. The statistical sampling of the IQ measure involved 6825 American adolescents. (Sample sizes from other countries were not noted, at least at the level of the wikipedia treatment.) That's pretty meager, in my opinion, to draw much by way of conclusions on such a thin margin (6 pts given the numerical range (200) of the IQ continuum), when projecting onto a population of 300m+. It's been quite a while since my statitistics courses in college, but I would think that you'd have a margin of error of 2 to 3 pts. That might leave a statistical margin of 4 to 3 pts. Not much to brag about for us atheists when are ranks have swelled due to recent migration.

I think mac's point about recent migrations towards atheism suggesting that there's been more thought to the question of religion devoted by atheists recently than religionists sounds right. That seems pretty intuitive. It does not seem to me intuitive that atheism would outscore religionists on IQ tests.

[_sock puppet]

What this also means is that in time, you atheists will have to start dealing more and more with the "stupid atheist problem." What I mean by that is that as a religious person, I am forced to deal with religious idiots and explain their lunacy, and statistically speaking I probably have to do that more often on average than do atheists. However, given a little time, my guess is that things will even out, and you atheists will be dealing with your own idiots and explaining their lunacy to believers too.

Oh, I think that gap is fast closing.

A little bit more every time I log in...

Ouch!

[_sock puppet]

Is that the same kind of inductive reasoning you've used to remain Mormon?

Of course. My reasoning is as follows:

P1 the church is twoo.
P2 If the churc is twoo, I shood b a Mowerman
Q1: I b a Mowerman.
Q.F.C.

No, no, no. That would be circular logic, not inductive. I don't think that you'd need to end at the same place you started. But it does seem like many Mormons magnify a single emotional experience into beliefs in the entire construct of LDS theology.

I get the Q. and the F., but not the C. What is the C.?

I've never seen Mormon slanged into Mowerman in writing, maybe phonetically dragged out like that but not in print. Speaking of mower, the grass in my lawn needs mowed. Any takers?

[_Buffalo]

Is that the same kind of inductive reasoning you've used to remain Mormon?

Of course. My reasoning is as follows:

P1 the church is twoo.
P2 If the churc is twoo, I shood b a Mowerman
Q1: I b a Mowerman.
Q.F.C.

I lol'd :D

[_zeezrom]

Atheists have to work harder for everything because they are on their own. Are atheists harder workers?

[Analytics]

I get the Q. and the F., but not the C. What is the C.?

The C stands for "centers". I was doing a play on QED by referring to the grocery store chain: http://www.qfc.com/Pages/default.aspx

I've never seen Mormon slanged into Mowerman in writing, maybe phonetically dragged out like that but not in print.

I was inspired by a bus I once saw in Gouda which had the word Moorman on the side. I thought I'd play on it further for the sake of silliness.


By the way, my argument is valid, NOT sound and not circular. The problem is the disputed premise, P1. I never attempted to prove P1 nor did your initial question ask me to. Even though we both know that's what you had in mind, I thought it would be funnier the way I did it. At least Buffalo laughed.

Explaining jokes ruins them. Bleh.

ETA: valid and NOT in front of sound.

[_Quasimodo]

Speaking of mower, the grass in my lawn needs mowed. Any takers?

Only if you buy the gas and LOTS of beer.