R: Is the Atheism/Theism belief/disbelief a false dichotomy? are there other options?
October 3, 2015 at 12:24 pm
(October 3, 2015 at 12:10 pm)robvalue Wrote: Our new friend bambi seems a candidate for an atheist and theist simultaneously. He seems highly aware that the arguments are suspect and pretty much admits the logical arguments aren't solid. He's aware how ridiculous it seems to us, and how it would have been even to himself not long ago. Yet he is emotionally caught up in believing. (Apologies if I've misrepresented.) Maybe different parts of his brain are in conflict?
I suppose it comes down to how this informs actions. But the brain could send mixed messages. It certainly seems to for people who think God is protecting them yet fasten their seatbelt.
If we define "theist" as "someone who has a belief in a god," and "atheist" as "not a theist," then he is a theist (and not an atheist) if he believes in a god. Even if he simultaneously believes that there is no god.
This brings us back to my original post, that the question of the opening post is a matter of definition. It is a question of precisely how we define the terms. Different definitions for the terms will give us different results.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
