Psych Evidence that Supports New Atheism

[salvorhardin]

Heh. Blame Chris Mooney for the headline. The psych evidence he's talking about are ‎4 studies that show increased atheist prevalence (i.e. more out-of-the-closet atheists) reduces prejudice and distrust of atheists.

Although prejudice is typically positively related to relative outgroup size, four studies found converging evidence that perceived atheist prevalence reduces anti-atheist prejudice. Study 1 demonstrated that anti-atheist prejudice among religious believers is reduced in countries in which atheists are especially prevalent. Study 2 demonstrated that perceived atheist prevalence is negatively associated with anti-atheist prejudice. Study 3 demonstrated a causal relationship: Reminders of atheist prevalence reduced explicit distrust of atheists. These results appeared distinct from intergroup contact effects. Study 4 demonstrated that prevalence information decreased implicit atheist distrust. The latter two experiments provide the first evidence that mere prevalence information can reduce prejudice against any outgroup. These findings offer insights about anti-atheist prejudice, a poorly understood phenomenon. Furthermore, they suggest both novel directions for future prejudice research and potential interventions that could reduce a variety of prejudices.

Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2011/04/21/psych-evidence-that-supports-new-atheism

Now all we need is for Russell T. Davies to make a show about a bunch of promiscuous atheists and I think we'll have this anti-atheist bigotry just about licked.

[laconicsax]

1. Someone unrecced this?

WTF

[salvorhardin]

2. Probably for my obscure gay BBC television producer reference

;-)

[darkstar3]

3. Did you have to use the words "promiscuous" and "licked" in the same sentence?

;)

In all seriousness, the same is true for every minority whose members can "pass". We've known for years, for example, that when more people come out as gay homosexuals become more accepted in society.

[salvorhardin]

4. Hah!

Actually, that's what I was alluding to with my joke. But it's always good to have specific evidence to back up what we're doing.

[trotsky]

9. Isn't it odd, though...

how many so-called "liberal" Christians are A-OK with homosexuals being "loud and proud" yet won't extend that same courtesy to atheists, who are supposed to remain quietly in their own closet and defer to religious belief?

[darkstar3]

10. Interesting thought.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. No difference between old atheism and new atheism.

It's still a non belief in a god or gods.

Bertrand Russell laid it all out decades ago.

[salvorhardin]

6. Chris Mooney wrote the blog post

He was poking fun with the title. The important bit is the science.

[PassingFair]

12. In the current idiom...a "New Atheist" is anyone who TALKS about being an atheist.

We're supposed to keep reality to ourselves, for
fear of upsetting the religious applecart.

[Speck Tater]

7. It stands to reason.

It's easy to hate something seen as strange, distant, alien, etc. Not so easy to hate a group when half your bowling team is in that group.

[dimbear]

8. Or when your President specifically mentions you as fellow Americans, rather than

specifically saying that he doesn't want your vote. (as in the original Bush)

[PassingFair]

11. My daughter was able to meet and make friends with like-thinking individuals...

just a few days ago, when "Ask an Atheist Day" hit the
college campuses.

She had been looking for the Secular Alliance group,
unsuccessfully, until this opportunity arose, and she
happened upon them.

Their signs had been torn down pretty regularly, and
she was nervous to ask about the group.

I think the bus signs and billboards are a good thing,
I feel safer knowing that others think like me and are
reaching out and making their numbers known.

[Ian David]

13. From your mouth to god's ears.

Oh, wait...