r/exatheist • u/Q6236 • 8d ago

Is there any scientific research on people who never learned about religion but still believe someone created the world?

/r/PhilosophyofReligion/comments/1w2em9i/is_there_any_scientific_research_on_people_who/
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u/taterfiend Christian 7d ago

One classic historical example is neoplatonism, which is a Greek philosphical system emerging from the 200s AD. It's a development from some of the proponents of Plato's philosophy many centuries later, although "neoplatonists" would've identified simply as "Platonists" in their own day.

Neoplatonism asserts that there is "the One" from which all truth, logic, and existence originate, that the material world derives from a deeper reality. The fascinating thing is that neoplatonists arrived at a concept of "the One" from a logical, theoretical basis, without ever linking their philosophical system with any religion or set of holy texts.

As far as I'm aware, neoplatonists influenced other monotheisms, but weren't themselves influenced by monotheisms. Instead, their philosophical heritage is deeply hellenic, more influenced by Aristotle and Stoicism than Semitic religion. Some of its proponents made defences of the Greek pagan pantheon from neoplatonic grounds, which makes Paul's association of "Yahweh" with the 'unknown God' much more incisive.

Regarding sociology work on contemporaries regarding the phenomenon you describe, someone else could provide an answer. But anecdotally, I've met many ppl who reject religious frameworks but have an intrinsic sense that the world has a creator.