In The Believing Brain, Michael Shermer argues that “belief-dependent realism” makes it hard for any of us to have an objective view of the world
YOU are rushing to the airport when a tree falls and blocks the road, causing you to miss your flight. Hours later you learn the plane has crashed and all its passengers are presumed dead.
If you are religious, you may interpret the falling tree as a miracle, evidence that a loving God is watching over you. If you aren’t, you will likely see it as an incredibly fortunate fluke. These two interpretations of the…
