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Anthropocentric biases in teleological thinking : how nature seems designed for humans
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Preston, Jesse L. and Shin, Faith (2021) Anthropocentric biases in teleological thinking : how nature seems designed for humans. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150 (5). pp. 943-955. doi:10.1037/xge0000981
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000981
Abstract
People frequently see design in nature that reflects intuitive teleological thinking– that is, the order in nature that supports life suggests it was designed for that purpose. This research proposes that inferences are stronger when nature supports human life in particular. Five studies (total N = 1788) examine evidence for an anthro-teleological bias. People agreed more with design statements framed to aid humans (e.g., “trees produce oxygen so that humans can breathe”) than the same statements framed to aid other targets (“trees produce oxygen so that leopards can breathe”). The bias was greatest when advantages for humans were well-known and salient (e.g., the ozone layer) and decreased when advantages for other targets were made explicit. The bias was not eliminated by highlighting the benefits for other species, however, and emerged spontaneously for novel phenomena (Jupiter’s gravity protects Earth from asteroids). We conclude that anthropocentric biases enhance existing teleological biases to see stronger design in phenomena where it enables human survival.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy | ||||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science > Psychology | ||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Anthropic principle, Human beings, Intelligent design (Teleology), Anthropology -- Philosophy | ||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Experimental Psychology: General | ||||||||
| Publisher: | American Psychological Association | ||||||||
| ISSN: | 0096-3445 | ||||||||
| Official Date: | 24 June 2021 | ||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 150 | ||||||||
| Number: | 5 | ||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 943-955 | ||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1037/xge0000981 | ||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
| Publisher Statement: | ©American Psychological Association, 2020. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000981 | ||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||
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