When the Atheists Are Right

[rrneck]

41. Why do you think they call it dope...?

Addictive drugs trigger the release of the original addictive drug - dopamine.


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine

It feels good to care, to help others, to be a member of a group that cares about you. Dopamine is an evolutionary reward for cooperation. And it works. Cooperation through empathy has been the key to our survival.

Through the miracle of modern chemistry, we can reward ourselves without any actual risk or effort. We have drugs that trigger dopamine release. But that modern convenience isn't confined to chemistry.

We can care, and subcontract the actual work and risk involved in acting on our concerns, without having to actually put any skin in the game. The down side is that since we aren't actually paying to help people but rather for the dopamine release derived from caring, the organizations that deliver it are incentivized to please us and not actually help others. And that is where you will find the ideology industry, including religion.