tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post5087659725056657064..comments2023-10-31T10:57:37.652+00:00Comments on Epiphenom: The not-so-good SamaritanEpiphenomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420404206189437710noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-81408987901865416172012-10-15T02:30:34.228+01:002012-10-15T02:30:34.228+01:00Ed C, the article explained that "Fundamental...Ed C, the article explained that "Fundamentalists" were defined as those who believe the Bible is literally true. Research studies are expected to provide clear definitions of how people are classified, they can't just decide that some people are "fundamentalists" for no reason. Besides, there are Christians who describe themselves using this term, it's not a term someone made up to discredit them. Scott McGrealhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/unique-everybody-elsenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-55503137889749654512012-10-08T10:31:14.433+01:002012-10-08T10:31:14.433+01:00I have to agree with Doug above...hasn't this ...I have to agree with Doug above...hasn't this blogger missed the *whole* point about the story of the Good Samaritan, ie that Christ was showing the hypocritical capabilities of religion?<br /><br />Next issue- would have to see the definition of a "fundamentalist". After all, one man's fundamentalist is another man's liberal, and such terms are often just used to linguistically discredit people who disagree with you.<br /><br />Third- my experience in the charitable sector is that more often than not, as CS Lewis said, those who believe the most about the life to come are most passionate about changing this life. It's only anecdotal evidence but I have encountered a great many people linked with the think tank I worked for who had "embarrassing" views...and yet none could deny they had spent their lives and all they had on behalf of the needy. Complex indeed, but this says far more to me than a methodologically dubious study.Ed Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-90625408724365865942012-10-06T12:51:34.632+01:002012-10-06T12:51:34.632+01:00"you might expect that the more religious peo..."you might expect that the more religious people might be more likely to help strangers."<br />Anyone who reads the Good Samaritan (Luke 10, if anyone is interested) wouldn't expect any such thing... after all, the <i>religious</i> people in the story are the ones that <i>did not</i> help the stranger.<br />(talk about "irony"...)Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-87258035775567063802012-02-14T18:16:36.710+00:002012-02-14T18:16:36.710+00:00I work at Catholic Charities and we want to put a ...I work at Catholic Charities and we want to put a huge banner on a wall of our homeless sheleter. We really like the image in this post of the Good Samaritan. Do you know where I can purchase a high resolution file of it? Or who the painter is?<br /><br />vchavez@ccdenver.orgVanessa Chavezhttp://www.ccdenver.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-35939488878825314212011-11-22T21:09:45.179+00:002011-11-22T21:09:45.179+00:00I'm interested in this blog in that it actuall...I'm interested in this blog in that it actually missed the point of the parable. Jesus was enforcing the fact that religious people are more likely to walk passed a person in need. Both the people who ignored the injured man were religious leaders of sorts. Jesus was affirming the need for our expression of faith to have real legs on it rather than just be a mental or academic stance in our heads. The Samaritan who actually ended up helping was a man who was despised and disregarded by society. Real faith shows itself in our actions and not just in our pious attitude. It seems that Jesus taught very clearly on the psychology of people and religion and helped them to set the sights on what really matters and what really makes a difference in the lives of others. Awesome teacher!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-24229326344475271482011-09-21T18:48:13.210+01:002011-09-21T18:48:13.210+01:00An interesting study on the relationship between f...An interesting study on the relationship between fundamentalism and in-group/out-group thinking. To what extent to we perceive ourselves as morally responsible to or for those who are not like us?Kylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04890057843821961182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-1493392924843764592011-04-16T08:08:37.582+01:002011-04-16T08:08:37.582+01:00Anon, there were around 70 in each study, which is...Anon, there were around 70 in each study, which is roughly typical for this kind of study. Psychological researchers seem rarely if ever to calculate statistical power to justify their choice of sample size, so I don't know if it was adequate.Epiphenomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420404206189437710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-9184230344133226612011-04-15T07:35:37.837+01:002011-04-15T07:35:37.837+01:00Did this study survey huge numbers of people, or j...Did this study survey huge numbers of people, or just testing the waters at this stage?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-2499086707191547122011-04-07T22:21:11.175+01:002011-04-07T22:21:11.175+01:00Roy, fair point. In fact, they acknowledge that in...Roy, fair point. In fact, they acknowledge that in the paper - and Saroglou has written about it before. In the second experiment, they try to limit the problem of 'socially desirable responding' by putting a bunch of distracter scenarios to the participants, so that they don't guess the true purpose of the experiment.<br /><br />But for me the interesting thing is that the religious do not, in fact claim to be altruistic towards out-groupers. They don;t respond as their religion tells them that they should!<br /><br />And that's just in a pen-and-paper exercise. In real life, the difference may be even more stark.Epiphenomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420404206189437710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-24028544329664766632011-04-07T11:38:38.776+01:002011-04-07T11:38:38.776+01:00Nice post,here's a funny video about the good ...Nice post,here's a funny video about the good Samaritan<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rywVlfTtlMYbeebeeonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-60795438462978983552011-04-06T23:42:25.360+01:002011-04-06T23:42:25.360+01:00The big problem with this study is of course that ...The big problem with this study is of course that people were filling out a form rather than performing an action in the real world. <br /><br />In the 70s, Darley and Batson created an experimental setting in which subjects—all were students at Princeton Theological Seminary—“encountered a shabbily dressed person slumped by the side of the road.” Three conditions were used as independent variables. (1) Some of the subjects were on their way to give a talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan; others had been assigned a topic unrelated to altruism. When encountering the slumped-over person, the former group were not more likely than the latter to stop and offer help. What we would now call “priming” was ineffective. (2) Subjects had previously been interviewed on their religious commitments. These, too, were uncorrelated with helping responses. (3) Some of the subjects were told (p. 104), “Oh, you're late. They were expecting you a few minutes ago. We’d better get moving.” Only this condition had a significant effect on the subjects’ behavior. The authors concluded:<br /><br />"A person not in a hurry may stop and offer help to a person in distress. A person in a hurry is likely to keep going. Ironically, he is likely to keep going even if he is hurrying to speak on the parable of the Good Samaritan, thus inadvertently confirming the point of the parable. (Indeed, on several occasions, a seminary student going to give his talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan literally stepped over the victim as he hurried on his way!)"<br /><br />Darley, J. M., and C. D. Batson, C. D. 1973. “‘From Jerusalem to Jericho’: A study of situational and dispositional variables in helping behavior.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 27:100–119.Roy Sabloskyhttp://yashwata.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051713021757781960.post-2283747869645504212011-04-06T22:18:25.354+01:002011-04-06T22:18:25.354+01:00Oh, the sweet, sweet irony. Reminds me of the time...Oh, the sweet, sweet irony. Reminds me of the time in California I was told by someone that they love everyone, except (of course) the n***ers, the c**nks, the homos, the lezos, the lefties, the greenies, etc. etc. etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com