evolution, weak-atheismAtheists typically believe in the evolution of mankind from a single cell into a complex creature. Assuming this very physical process, how does it explain the feelings and emotional states of humankind at the present time, like sadness, happiness, laughter, goodness, etc. How is it possible that the feelings of humankind are developed by a physical cause during the time?
If you want to understand the physical basis of feelings, you should look into the fields of neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychology. The answers are long, complex, and incomplete, and involve things like reward pathways (dopamine), conserved brain structures (hindbrain), and so on.
But what is so special about feelings as opposed to, say, your circulatory system, or your metabolic pathways that allow you to digest protein? Once you rule out “God!” as a valid answer for the origin of these things, the origin of any of them becomes an interesting and complex problem.
Atheism is NOT a belief in evolution; the two are entirely separate. I happen to be an atheist who also accepts the scientific evidence for evolution but there are others who don’t. Check out the Raelians for an example of a group that does not believe in god but does believe in a form of intelligent design.
http://www.rael.org/home
Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals seems relevant here. Note that Freud's early work on hysteria acknowledges a debt to the work done by Darwin on emotional expression.
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