(March 1, 2018 at 7:28 am)mh.brewer Wrote: Does anyone else feel like a bug under a magnifying glass?

(February 28, 2018 at 11:41 pm)stretch3172 Wrote: Greetings! 

I'm a master's seminary student currently writing an ethnography focusing on the worldviews of atheists and agnostics in the 18-26 age range. I must interview a number of atheists and agnostics to complete this assignment, so I would be extremely grateful to anyone who would be willing to answer some questions for me. 

If you are interested, please respond to the following list of questions (or as many as you can!) in a single post. Thank you in advance for your time and willingness to help me out with this project! 

Preliminary Background:
What is your age? A bit older than my teeth and as old as my tongue.
 
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)? Professor.
 
(If applicable) How far along in your studies are you? PhD
 
What is (was) your major?  Mathematics
 
Why are (were) you in college? Because I wanted an education.
 
What are your future plans/goals? Retire
 
Briefly describe your family background. Can't be done: too complicated
 
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family. Well, the relationship with my wife is quite good.
 
Describe your social life. Happy.
 
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not? Friendship is quite important.
 
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life? Both are of value and need respect.
 
Ontological
 
What is the source of power and success? My brain.
 
What is the origin of the universe? I'm not sure it is a meaningful question.
 
What is the origin and destiny of humanity? Origin? We evolved. Destiny? We have to decide that.
 
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it.  NONE
 
Do incorporeal beings exist?  NO.
 
How do you define ‘God’?  I don't. I let the believers do that.
 
How do you define ‘truth’? Correspondence with observation.
 
Epistemological
How do you know what is true? By observation.
 
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard? No such thing.
 
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims?  By observation and testing.
 
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective? Well, they are specific to humans. But most humans agree on the basics.
 
How do you know right from wrong? It is a social construct.
 
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so? It can show how social species adopt rules of behavior.
 
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”? Good: thoughtful and caring. Bad: unthoughtful and uncaring.
 
What would an “ideal society” look like? One where the maximum number of people are healthy, happy, and fulfilled.
 
Do people act purely out of self-interest? No. There is altruism.
 
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it? Morality: Think and Care. Both crucial.
 
What is mankind’s single biggest problem? Religion.
 
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it? Education and elimination of the superstitious mindset.

(March 1, 2018 at 1:27 am)stretch3172 Wrote:

(March 1, 2018 at 1:01 am)Grandizer Wrote: I'm really curious about what the real purpose behind these surveys of atheists is. What are you students of Christian apologetics trying to accomplish exactly? Do you like discuss the answers in class and then find clever ways to "refute" them?

The purpose of this particular project is to describe the worldview of atheists and agnostics in their own words, such that any atheist or agnostic could read it for themselves and honestly say that it does their view justice.

(February 28, 2018 at 11:43 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: Why do we always end up as homework?!

(February 28, 2018 at 11:47 pm)J a c k Wrote: Do you want a pee sample, too?

(March 1, 2018 at 8:55 am)robvalue Wrote: At best you're going to be able to note trends here. There's no possible blanket statement about atheists, except that they are atheists.

(March 1, 2018 at 6:27 am)robvalue Wrote: Preliminary Background:
What is your age? 40
 
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)? Former student
 
(If applicable) How far along in your studies are you?
 
What is (was) your major? Mathematics
 
Why are (were) you in college? Love of mathematics, to get a better job
 
What are your future plans/goals? Getting back into work (currently long term sick)
 
Briefly describe your family background. Normal, raised with no mention of religion/atheism
 
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family. Dysfunctional
 
Describe your social life. Limited (due to illness)
 
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not? Yes. Mental wellbeing, mutual support, sharing experiences
 
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life? To me, personal
 
Ontological
 
What is the source of power and success? Don't understand
 
What is the origin of the universe? Don't know
 
What is the origin and destiny of humanity? Origin is we evolved, I don't know our future
 
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it. I find that term meaningless
 
Do incorporeal beings exist? Again meaningless
 
How do you define ‘God’? Intelligent creator
 
How do you define ‘truth’? With regard to reality, a statement which stands up to rigorous scrutiny. Absolute truth is always out of our reach, so I won't refer to that
 
Epistemological
How do you know what is true? I use evidence
 
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard? Evidence. Anyone can examine evidence to check what is true, giving the best chance of avoiding errors.
 
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims? Hypothesis testing with evidence
 
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective? Subjective
 
How do you know right from wrong? Emotions and reason
 
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so? During our evolution, those who cooperated fared better than those who went solo. This created a natural selection criteria by which caring about others was an advantage.
 
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”? Someone who values the wellbeing of others / someone who doesn't
 
What would an “ideal society” look like? Everyone is happy, free and has access to everything they need
 
Do people act purely out of self-interest? No
 
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it? Selflessness, putting a high value on the wellbeing of others compared to your own
 
What is mankind’s single biggest problem? Superstition
 
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it? Education