Choosing Atheism Or Theism? -- Entrenched Learnings (Vol. 1) – (An Essay Concerning Understanding Misunderstanding) L.L. Morton, PhD Professor Emeritus University of Windsor Draft Copy (in progress) August, 2013 Iteration © Dr. L. L. Morton Running Head: Disbelief: Constraints and Choices Disbelief: Constraints and Choices -- 2 Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................ 9 Preface ............................................................................................................................... 10 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 14 Part A: Constraints On Theistic Belief ............................................................................... 20 Psychological Structures And Belief Constraints ............................................................... 20 Damage ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Damage to the Physical Architecture Constrains Belief ............................................................................................. 20 Damage to the Cognitive Architecture Constrains Belief........................................................................................... 21 Damage to a Noetic Architecture Constrains Belief ..................................................................................................... 21 Development ............................................................................................................................................................................. 23 Cognitive Developmental Trajectories As Belief-Constraints .................................................................................. 23 Narrative Developmental Trajectories As Belief-Constraints .................................................................................. 24 Cultural Developmental Trajectories As Belief-Constraints ..................................................................................... 28 Psychological Functions And Belief-Constraints ................................................................ 29 Blindsight – Conflicted Beliefs As Constraints ............................................................................................................. 29 MindBlindness – Prioritized Beliefs As Constraints .................................................................................................... 30 MINDBLIND (Blind to the Priority of Mind) .................................................................................................................. 30 MindBlind (Blind to the Mind in Others) .......................................................................................................................... 33 MINDblind (Blind to the Mind of God) .............................................................................................................................. 34 The Will and Belief-Constraints ......................................................................................................................................... 35 (Akrasia—Will Depletion) ....................................................................................................................................................... 35 (Akrasia—Will Conservation) ................................................................................................................................................ 35 (Akrasia—Will Under the Influence of Wants) ................................................................................................................ 36 Weak Deflector-Beliefs as Belief-Constraints (Plantinga, 2011)............................................................................. 37 Faulty Deflector-Beliefs and Belief-Defeaters as Belief-Constraints (Logical Fallacies) ............................... 37 Self-Deception As Belief-Constraint ................................................................................................................................ 38 Bahnsen’s View -- Reformed-Based..................................................................................................................................... 38 Garver’s View -- Working Hypotheses ............................................................................................................................... 39 Trivers’ View -- Evolutionary Selection Principles....................................................................................................... 41 Mele’s View -- and Subsequent Cognitive Construals ................................................................................................. 43 Psychological Beliefs as Belief-Constraints......................................................................... 46 Bad Beliefs—Commonplace Thinking ............................................................................................................................ 47 Bad Beliefs—Philosophical Thinking .............................................................................................................................. 49 Bad Beliefs—Psychological Thinking ............................................................................................................................. 49 A Simple Beliefs Model .............................................................................................................................................................. 49 Disbelief: Constraints and Choices -- 3 An Activity-Switching, Self-Regulation Model ............................................................................................................... 50 An Imbalance Model .................................................................................................................................................................. 52 An Illusory Thinking Model ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 A Strategic Self-Regulation Model ....................................................................................................................................... 55 A Doing-Good Model (Problematic Self-Regulation) .................................................................................................. 57 A Naturalism Model ................................................................................................................................................................... 61 A Religious Model of Human Nature .................................................................................................................................. 62 Bad Beliefs—Biological Thinking ..................................................................................................................................... 65 Biology plus Environment ....................................................................................................................................................... 65 Biology plus Evolutionary Psychology .............................................................................................................................. 68 Bad Beliefs—Creedal/Cognitive-Science Thinking ..................................................................................................... 68 From The Cognitive Science Side ......................................................................................................................................... 68 From the Creedal Side............................................................................................................................................................... 71 Choice and Responsibility for Beliefs ................................................................................................................................. 74 Applications ................................................................................................................................................................................... 75 Psychological Processes Leading To Belief-Constraint ....................................................... 76 An Opponent-Process Theory ................................................................................................................................................. 76 An Action Identification Theory ............................................................................................................................................ 79 An Ironic Effects Theory ........................................................................................................................................................... 83 A Darkened-Mind Theory—Psychological ....................................................................................................................... 84 A Darkened-Mind Theory—Religious ................................................................................................................................. 86 Dissonant Thinking Theory ..................................................................................................................................................... 87 Ideomotor Action Theory .........................................................................................................................................................