How atheist are you? In The God Delusion, Dawkins proposes a scale of belief in god (see below). I would like to find out how you rate yourself on the scale below. It might not be a surprise to most that I identify with a 7. Can I say I'm a level 7 atheist? Sounds a bit like scientology now!
Anyway, I have reasons for identifying myself as a 7. If someone were to ask me whether god exists, my response would be "No, god does not exist". I wouldn't say "Well, there's no evidence so he/she/it is unlikely to exist". My response would be far more direct than that. The reasoning is that if I was asked if there are fairies at the bottom of my garden, my response would be equally direct. "No, there are no fairies at the bottom of my garden". Sure, they could exist, but that would just be silly, wouldn't it? Nobody has ever observed them so I am totally justified in responding with a direct "No".
Richard Dawkins' Belief Scale:
1. Strong Theist: I do not question the existence of God, I KNOW he exists.
2. De-facto Theist: I cannot know for certain but I strongly believe in God and I live my life on the assumption that he is there.
3. Weak Theist: I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.
4. Pure Agnostic: God’s existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.
5. Weak Atheist: I do not know whether God exists but I’m inclined to be skeptical.
6. De-facto Atheist: I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable and I live my life under the assumption that he is not there.
7. Strong Atheist: I am 100% sure that there is no God.
So how do you see yourself on a scale from 1 to 7 and what is your reasoning behind it?
Anyway, I have reasons for identifying myself as a 7. If someone were to ask me whether god exists, my response would be "No, god does not exist". I wouldn't say "Well, there's no evidence so he/she/it is unlikely to exist". My response would be far more direct than that. The reasoning is that if I was asked if there are fairies at the bottom of my garden, my response would be equally direct. "No, there are no fairies at the bottom of my garden". Sure, they could exist, but that would just be silly, wouldn't it? Nobody has ever observed them so I am totally justified in responding with a direct "No".
Richard Dawkins' Belief Scale:
1. Strong Theist: I do not question the existence of God, I KNOW he exists.
2. De-facto Theist: I cannot know for certain but I strongly believe in God and I live my life on the assumption that he is there.
3. Weak Theist: I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.
4. Pure Agnostic: God’s existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.
5. Weak Atheist: I do not know whether God exists but I’m inclined to be skeptical.
6. De-facto Atheist: I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable and I live my life under the assumption that he is not there.
7. Strong Atheist: I am 100% sure that there is no God.
So how do you see yourself on a scale from 1 to 7 and what is your reasoning behind it?
