RE: Is the Atheism/Theism belief/disbelief a false dichotomy? are there other options?
October 2, 2015 at 4:58 am
(This post was last modified: October 2, 2015 at 5:11 am by robvalue.)
[Lots of edits!]
You're welcome
No, I'd say certainty (in any useful sense) does not exist. We can only have evidence that puts things beyond reasonable doubt. If you wait until you are certain, you would never hold any beliefs about anything or be able to act.
If you literally go from being convinced (having an active belief there is a god) one day to not having that belief the next day, then you are alternating between theist and atheist. If reasonable doubt exists at all times, you are an atheist. If you just have a few moments of weird brain states, I think it would be silly to say you're not an atheist because of those.
If you honestly don't know what your beliefs are, or are not, then you don't know if you're an atheist or a theist. How it would be technically decided which you are is a difficult question. I'd say if there is confusion, you're an atheist, simple as that. But it's not up to me to assess everyone's own brain and criteria.
I'd say "knowing" is a subset of belief, of which you have an increased degree of certainty. This is somewhat arbitrary, for sure. But if "know" means "100% certainty" then such a thing does/should not exist. Or rather, you can be 100% "certain" and still be wrong. Just for example, belief could be 85% sure something is true whereas know might be 99%. Strength of beliefs will vary. Some people will qualify that their "belief" is not based on hard evidence, and as such not even be happy with it themselves. Like I believed I had the correct answer to a puzzle, but I knew I didn't have the evidence to explain to other people why. Until I found that evidence, I was not happy with my belief.
Definitions are a problem here, and are not totally fixed. They change between different people, and even in different contexts. I'm not putting forward my use of terminology as definitive. It just needs to be agreed for each discussion! Informally, you could say knowledge is based on certainty while belief is not, but in reality that's a simplification.
[Edit/addition-o-rama!]
You're welcome
No, I'd say certainty (in any useful sense) does not exist. We can only have evidence that puts things beyond reasonable doubt. If you wait until you are certain, you would never hold any beliefs about anything or be able to act.
If you literally go from being convinced (having an active belief there is a god) one day to not having that belief the next day, then you are alternating between theist and atheist. If reasonable doubt exists at all times, you are an atheist. If you just have a few moments of weird brain states, I think it would be silly to say you're not an atheist because of those.
If you honestly don't know what your beliefs are, or are not, then you don't know if you're an atheist or a theist. How it would be technically decided which you are is a difficult question. I'd say if there is confusion, you're an atheist, simple as that. But it's not up to me to assess everyone's own brain and criteria.
I'd say "knowing" is a subset of belief, of which you have an increased degree of certainty. This is somewhat arbitrary, for sure. But if "know" means "100% certainty" then such a thing does/should not exist. Or rather, you can be 100% "certain" and still be wrong. Just for example, belief could be 85% sure something is true whereas know might be 99%. Strength of beliefs will vary. Some people will qualify that their "belief" is not based on hard evidence, and as such not even be happy with it themselves. Like I believed I had the correct answer to a puzzle, but I knew I didn't have the evidence to explain to other people why. Until I found that evidence, I was not happy with my belief.
Definitions are a problem here, and are not totally fixed. They change between different people, and even in different contexts. I'm not putting forward my use of terminology as definitive. It just needs to be agreed for each discussion! Informally, you could say knowledge is based on certainty while belief is not, but in reality that's a simplification.
[Edit/addition-o-rama!]
Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.
Index of useful threads and discussions
Index of my best videos
Quickstart guide to the forum
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.
Index of useful threads and discussions
Index of my best videos
Quickstart guide to the forum
