Originally Posted by filtherton

I think that at some level, all people choose to embrace the beliefs in which they find the most aesthetic appeal.

Theists find the notion of god appealing, so they believe in god.

Atheists find the notion of no god appealing (perhaps indirectly), so they don't believe in god.

Most people who believe one way or another on global warming do so for reasons that have nothing to do with objective evaluation of scientific data.

I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to motivating people, empty sloganeering and shiny objects are 5x as effective as sound reasoning (exhibit a: the war in Iraq, exhibit b: SUVs).