Have you ever been frustrated explaining a position of reason to someone only to have them tell you that it just doesn’t feel right? It can be maddening, but you can’t simply dismiss someone’s feelings just because they’re wrong.

Quite recently in our evolution we figured out that we can hotwire the meat in our skull to do all sorts of crazy stuff. Playing the violin, skateboard tricks, considering the creation of our species using reason. None of these things come naturally. They are the result of our plasticized brains and our ability to adapt to new situations and challenges.

On the flip side, the default interface for homosapien is instinct. We feel hungry. We feel scared. We feel lonely. All of our interactions with our universe are through this interface. If we feel lonely we seek out companions. If we’re hungry we seek out food. If we seek satisfaction we learn new skills. If we feel fear we seek reassurance.

Even when we pursue a reasoned position on the creator of the universe (or lack thereof) it’s our feelings that reinforce the position. Our desire to exist in a 'tribe' of like-minded individuals. The feeling of satisfaction to find solutions to our concerns.

You can’t control what you feel (that’s why they’re called feelings) but you can work to inspire feelings in others. The best way to move someone away from the feelings of joy they get from a theological position (which admittedly are great: a supportive community, a release from fear of mortality and a sense of moral importance) is to inspire similar strong feelings in them for other positions.

Explaining to them why they are wrong will be about as effective as giving me violin sheet music or explaining how to do a 360 kick flip off a skateboard ramp. Adapting our brains to appreciate the subtly of evolution, or the power of the scientific method is a slow and unnatural process. We need to guide the way with support and enthusiasm.

Share your sense of scientific discovery. Engage them in any scientific enquiry that you do. If you want to make someone an atheist, excite them about the same things that lead you to that position.

And if they resist, understand that it’s not that they’re stubborn or stupid, they’re just hooked on a feeling. —Dan Beeston