Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: August 11, 2026, 11:42 am

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Atheist VS Naturalist - the latter sounds more appealing to me...
RE: Atheist VS Naturalist - the latter sounds more appealing to me...
(May 29, 2020 at 4:25 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: Then I’m not sure what you’re saying. I’m sorry.

@Peebo-Thuhlu

It occurs to me that we may be mixing up a logical argument with a conclusion drawn from evidence.

If you look all over the house and you don't find your cat, it is reasonable to conclude that your cat isn't there. He got out again. That's not an argument from ignorance, that's a conclusion you've drawn from research.

Here is the relevant part from the Wikipedia page on "Argument from Ignorance":

Quote:Evidence of absence
These examples contain definite evidence that can be used to show, indicate, suggest, infer or deduce the non-existence or non-presence of something.

  • One very carefully inspects the back seat of one's car and finds no adult-sized kangaroos.

It looks as though some people are making a similar claim with the supernatural. We've looked all over and we haven't found it, therefore it doesn't exist. The trouble is that searching for the supernatural is not like searching for a cat. By definition, the supernatural is not natural, and so using naturalist methods to search for it aren't relevant. 

An argument from ignorance would be like, "No one has proved it false, therefore it's true." And I have never said that. I have only said that we can't rule it out. Likewise, "No one has proved it's true, therefore it's false." 

Some examples of logical fallacies from the Wikipedia page:

Quote:

  • "There is no evidence of aliens, and therefore, aliens do not exist" appeals to an absence of evidence.
Arguments from self-knowing take the form:


  1. If P were true then I would know it; in fact I do not know it; therefore P cannot be true.

  2. If Q were false then I would know it; in fact I do not know it; therefore Q cannot be false.

That page quotes Carl Sagan on the fallacy:

Quote:the claim that whatever has not been proven false must be true, and vice versa.

Since I am not claiming to know either way, I'm not committing this fallacy. I'm only saying that an absence of evidence (of the kind people here like) is not evidence of absence. 

I'm saying that neither logical arguments nor accumulated empirical evidence allow us any stronger conclusion than "It doesn't look like it, but I don't know."

Those people who confidently announce that the supernatural doesn't exist are committing this fallacy.
Reply



Messages In This Thread
RE: Atheist VS Naturalist - the latter sounds more appealing to me... - by Belacqua - May 30, 2020 at 3:09 am

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Is life more satisfying as an atheist or religionist? FrustratedFool 96 23192 November 10, 2023 at 11:13 pm
Last Post: Thumpalumpacus
  No soul? No free will and no responsibility then, yet the latter's essential... Duty 33 10498 August 26, 2020 at 4:35 pm
Last Post: HappySkeptic
  His wish sounds familiar purplepurpose 1 1507 November 16, 2017 at 4:55 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Closet Atheist Coming Out and Telling Family and Friends You're An Atheist Cholley71 10 9514 September 27, 2016 at 1:01 am
Last Post: Minimalist
  Ugh, how come I, an atheist, have the ability to ACT more "Christian" than...... maestroanth 7 3030 April 9, 2016 at 7:46 pm
Last Post: Edwardo Piet
  Do atheists like Atheist Roo have anything useful to offer the Atheist community? IanHulett 21 11218 January 1, 2016 at 10:33 am
Last Post: TheRocketSurgeon
  Religious kids more likely to be cunts than atheist ones Napoléon 12 4706 November 6, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Last Post: paulpablo
  More atheist men than women? Catholic_Lady 203 66506 July 9, 2015 at 9:12 pm
Last Post: Thumpalumpacus
  Are Deists more like theists or Atheist? Twisted 37 15242 May 28, 2015 at 10:18 am
Last Post: comet
  Quiet Atheist vs Militant Atheist z7z 62 22688 May 18, 2015 at 1:32 am
Last Post: abentwookie



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)