fubarobfusco comments on 2014 Survey Results - Less Wrong

87 Post author: Yvain 05 January 2015 07:36PM

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Comment author: Tenoke 04 January 2015 12:33:14PM 3 points [-]

What's up with a whole 10% being 'Atheist and spiritual'? It doesn't seem to be a family thing, as you get only 4.9% with that belief in the family section, and the numbers don't match up with the P(Supernatural) question.

I was worried about this last year when it was 8.1%, and the number seems to be increasing. Is this Will Newsome's post-rationality faction or what?

Comment author: Kaj_Sotala 04 January 2015 12:51:16PM 9 points [-]

"Spiritual" doesn't necessarily imply a belief in anything supernatural: as Wikipedia puts it,

Since the 19th century spirituality is often separated from religion, and has become more oriented on subjective experience and psychological growth. It may refer to almost any kind of meaningful activity or blissful experience, but without a single, widely-agreed definition.

I've sometimes marked myself in the "atheist and spiritual" category in the surveys, though not always since I've been a little unsure of what exactly is meant by it. When I have, I've taken "spiritual" to refer to practices like engaging in meditation (possibly with the intention of seeing through the illusion of the self), seeking to perceive a higher meaning in everything that one does, enjoyment of ritual, cultivation of empathy towards other people, looking to connect with nature, etc.

Comment author: fubarobfusco 04 January 2015 04:32:07PM 6 points [-]

It seems to me that religious belief and religious practice should be distinguished. The current questions are about religious belief and family background. Perhaps a question like this:

How many times in the past year have you done the following practices? Estimates are OK. The question here is whether you did the thing, not whether you believed in it, made it a habit, or did it voluntarily.

  • Attended a religious service?
  • Attended a "regular" religious service (e.g. a weekly church or synagogue service, Muslim daily prayers, etc.; not a wedding, funeral, or holiday service)?
  • Prayed to God, gods, saints, or other religious figures outside of a religious service?
  • Done yoga, qigong, or another movement practice derived from religious or spiritual beliefs?
  • Used or participated in psychic or fortune-telling practices (palmistry, ouija, I Ching, tarot)?
  • Meditated?
  • Meditated for thirty minutes or more in a single session?
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