(September 20, 2012 at 7:01 am)Reasonable_Jeff Wrote: It seems to me that at the core of atheism is a deep "faith" in one's own cognitive abilities and their reliability in determining truth.
If atheism is true, then your cognitive abilities have evolved with the aim of survivability....not truth.
To think that your own thoughts really are true is irrational.
Unfortunately if what you say is true, I would have no way of knowing. If evolving for survival cannot create a competent cognitive system, then how am I to recognize the validity of your argument? Moreover, even if I were convinced of what you say, why should I believe you are in any better position cognitively than I?
Now you want to suggest that there is another alternative. If there is a magic alternative, you're saying, then we could get cognitive reassurance that doesn't rely on our flawed facilities. But the possibility of a magic alternative is pretty out there. If we can't even expect to make valid conclusions about the stuff we can actually observe, how can we expect it making determinations between competing magical claims? Why your brand?
