Atheism and . . . autism???

[MrVirtualCoder]

"Autism" and "atheism" both start with the letter "a," so they must be the same.

That would be the logic of 'attention-hungry, media-reporter,' Glenn Beck.

 

[The Neo Nerd]

Atheism and autism: Controversial new study points to a link between the two | Mail Online

Not sure what to make of this other than I think it reinforces that we are using a flawed model for thinking about and categorizing ASD.


What do you think?

I put this in DIR because I'd like to hear personal responses and experiences pertinent to the conclusion reached through this study that ASD might be a trigger for "atheism."

This is in no way shocking.

It's not that autistic people don't feel emotions, it's that:

Autism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication

One of the attractions to religion is that it provides a great social network. It's not surprising that those with autism aren't attracted to this type of thing.

-Q

 

[Nichole_R]

Personally I would pray for every atheist to come to the saving knowledge of God, but I would never stoop down to call them autistic to their face, medically proven or not.

 

[rageoftyrael]

Personally I would pray for every atheist to come to the saving knowledge of God, but I would never stoop down to call them autistic to their face, medically proven or not.

That right there is why i was mildly offended. The fact that the majority of higher functioning autistics are atheist, doesn't mean that the majority of atheists are higher functioning autistics. But people with an agenda are gonna read it like that. Especially cause the article's title does imply it.

We all know that there are plenty of religious people who have an agenda, who would have a hayday with this information. They'd twist it to make all atheists somehow autistic, and thus somehow less credible. I'm not saying it's fair, we just know how people are.

Oh, and i'm not saying nichole had an agenda, i was just pointing out that people with an agenda could use it.

 

[waitasec]

That's because autistic people most likely don't care about religion.

this...


Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas.
Freethought - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

free thought is the antithesis of an impaired social interaction free thought enhances social interaction.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

The study, which looked at posts on autism forums, focused on people with high-functioning autism such as Asperger's.

Read more: Atheism and autism: Controversial new study points to a link between the two | Mail Online
​

Is it necessary to really say anything else about the study? I'd hardly even call it a study since it was conducted over an online forum, in which there is no real way to verify if the members actually do have Aspergers or if they are self-diagnosed. It's also questionable since Asperger's is not the only form of Autism, and the typical characteristics of those with Aspergers is not typical for all forms of Autism. Although I can't say I would be surprised if those with Asperger's are more prone to being atheist due to having a mindset that is constantly rationalizing and constantly interpreting things as being literal. Plus a lack of empathy, of which religion largely revolves around, might make it unappealing to some.

 

[lyonap]

I know (went to school with one and other one is a nonfriend of a nonfriend) 2 self proclaimed athiest women, both 30, both with autistic sons about the same age. Hmm interesting.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I think it's worth reminding everyone against making bad inferences from this study. Autism is a relatively rare condition. Just as "Ferraris are more likely to be red" does not imply "red cars are more likely to be Ferraris" the suggestion that autistic people are more likely to be atheists does not imply that atheists are more likely to be autistic.

 

[doppelganger]

Autism is a relatively rare condition.

1 in 88 children isn't "relatively rare" is it?

Autism rates increasing sharply, CDC study finds - Los Angeles Times

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

1 in 88 children isn't "relatively rare" is it?

Autism rates increasing sharply, CDC study finds - Los Angeles Times

In the sense that I meant it, yes, I think it is: it's infrequent enough that I don't think we can infer that a correlation in one direction necessarily implies a correlation in the other direction.

The vast majority of atheists are not autistic. While autistic atheists are definitely included in the general body of atheists, their frequency is low enough that without further information, it would be unreasonable to assume that the average autistic atheist is reflective of the average atheist generally.

And this isn't meant as any slight against autistic people; the same would be true if we were talking about, say, the characteristics of atheists over 6'5". They're relatively rare, so it makes more sense to take them as the "tail" than the "body" of the overall distribution.