debate-points, booksAny religion I know is extremely complex, and has many fields of study. Atheism is simpler, and I’m trying to find more to know related to it.
I have found the following study fields so far
Do you know more?
Cognitive Dissonance - Suggested reading “Mistakes Were Made, But Not by Me”
History - The major religions developed during a time of increased urbanization when we needed to learn how to be civil and not just tribal. How religions have maintained their power structure is also important. Not to mention where the myths came from and how they changed.
Evolutionary Biology - What was going on in the minds of the first humans that became self-aware.
Child Psychology - Why kids accept Santa Claus so easily and how they unlearn it. Are fairy tales harmful, or a useful teaching tool?
Mythology - How cultures have passed on similar moral lessons.
Logic in language - once you get the hang of it, just about any “proof of God” becomes child’s play
Textual analysis - a difficult practice, but good to know what it is. It is how people have determined (or at least theorized) that Mark, Matthew and Luke were based on an earlier source. Greek, Latin, Hebrew and other ancient languages - if you are really, really into it
Ethics - What is moral? Can I embellish my resume? Everybody else does it! What do I base that on?
Community/Law/Civility - How do we get people to pick up their own garbage at the park? What about other people’s garbage? Should we even have parks?
Biology - If there isn’t a soul inside me driving my decision making, then what is? I may feel at one with the universe and I am made of star stuff, but so what. My thoughts and memories are functions of my brain. Unfortunately I can’t put a thought in a test tube. Understanding these mechanism will address many so-called “spiritual” experiences.
Lausten’s answer is great, but there area couple of other fields I would recommend:
Anthropology. The study of cultures ties in directly with an understanding of the factors that motivate people to act in certain ways. Obviously, this provides not only an insight into the mythology embraced by the people, it also teaches you to filter out your own cultural biases when observing another.
Linguistics. The science of language and the way we interact with our words. Again, this is a discipline that provides a means of understanding the culture and their mythologies.
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