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Today's Atheist Meme of the Day:
"That can't be a coincidence! It must have had a supernatural cause!" isn't a good argument for God or the supernatural. Our minds evolved to see patterns, even where none exist; and our intuitive understanding of probability is not very good. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get through.
Between pareidolia, post hoc rationalization, and confirmation bias, we are inherently flawed in our ability to tell "coincidence" apart from real correlation. Science is the tool that gives us even a partial ability to see the difference because it minimizes our own flawed observance from the equation.
"That can't be a coincidence! It must have had a supernatural cause!" isn't a good argument for God or the supernatural. Our minds evolved to see patterns, even where none exist; and our intuitive understanding of probability is not very good. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get through.
Between pareidolia, post hoc rationalization, and confirmation bias, we are inherently flawed in our ability to tell "coincidence" apart from real correlation. Science is the tool that gives us even a partial ability to see the difference because it minimizes our own flawed observance from the equation.
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Date: 9/30/09 11:38 pm (UTC)From:He backpedaled really quickly (it was probably the reds of my eyes) and said "of course, I don't believe in astrology, but..."
No buts. His plans went awry because sometimes plans do, welcome to adulthood. Now please pay the rent this month!
Your meme just says it better.
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Date: 10/1/09 02:12 am (UTC)From:"There's no good explanation for it at all! / Ain't no rhyme or reason / no complicated meaning / ain't no need to overthink it / let go lauging / Life don't go quite like you planned it / we try so hard to understand it / irrefutable, indisputable, absoluteable, totally beautiful fact is / psshh it happens!"