RE: Is atheism a belief?
March 12, 2019 at 6:06 pm
(This post was last modified: March 12, 2019 at 6:34 pm by bennyboy.)
I can very confidently say at this point that I don't misunderstand what you're saying. I disagree with it. I do not accept belief and knowledge as biaxial. A couple of philosophical positions (like non-solipsism) aside, my beliefs are an expression of incomplete knowledge-- and my pursuit of more knowledge is an expression of my desire to confirm (or, if I'm not too emotionally invested, to disprove) my beliefs.
I believe I will have a good day today, because I got enough sleep and I don't have any stressful appointments; I know those things, but what I don't know is whether the universe will throw a curve ball at me today. Maybe I'll win the lottery, maybe I'll get hit by a car. I start my day with a belief, and see how things pan out in order to confirm or disprove it.
If I wasn't feeling particularly good or bad, and you asked me whether I believed I would have a good day, I wouldn't say "I happen to lack that belief." I'd say, "I need more information to make that assessment. I do not have sufficient knowledge to form a coherent belief right now." i.e. I'm purely agnostic about the outcome of this particular day.
This is how science works, as well. When a scientist makes a hypothesis, it's not a purely academic affair-- usually, they think, "Well. . . I see a correlation between A and B, and I have a hunch based on past observations that it's caused by C. That seems like a good thing to check for." That's a belief based on knowledge. This belief in place, the scientist acts to see whether the belief represents the actual state of things, i.e. reality-- by increasing their knowledge through experimentation. Then, if necessary, they will revise their beliefs based on the new knowledge.
I believe I will have a good day today, because I got enough sleep and I don't have any stressful appointments; I know those things, but what I don't know is whether the universe will throw a curve ball at me today. Maybe I'll win the lottery, maybe I'll get hit by a car. I start my day with a belief, and see how things pan out in order to confirm or disprove it.
If I wasn't feeling particularly good or bad, and you asked me whether I believed I would have a good day, I wouldn't say "I happen to lack that belief." I'd say, "I need more information to make that assessment. I do not have sufficient knowledge to form a coherent belief right now." i.e. I'm purely agnostic about the outcome of this particular day.
This is how science works, as well. When a scientist makes a hypothesis, it's not a purely academic affair-- usually, they think, "Well. . . I see a correlation between A and B, and I have a hunch based on past observations that it's caused by C. That seems like a good thing to check for." That's a belief based on knowledge. This belief in place, the scientist acts to see whether the belief represents the actual state of things, i.e. reality-- by increasing their knowledge through experimentation. Then, if necessary, they will revise their beliefs based on the new knowledge.
