(February 16, 2013 at 6:50 pm)Drew_2013 Wrote: The atheist worldview, whether individual atheists own up to it or not, is that our existence and that of the universe was the result of mindless mechanistic forces that never intended either the universe or us to exist. That worldview has significant impact philosophically speaking.
First of all, there is no such thing as an atheist worldview. For example, I may happen to believe that some time in future, scientists would invent a time machine and figure out which points in the past they need to send it to in order to have the universe and humanity exist in its current state. With this belief, I'd still be an atheist while believing that the existence of humanity and the universe was very much intentional.
Further, atheism is usually just a consequence of one's worldview - not the basis for it. I know it is hard for a theist to understand, since you typically base you entire worldview upon the presumption of your god, but give it a try nonetheless. Whatever ramifications it may have philosophically would normally be rendered moot by other consequences of that particular worldview.
That being said, I believe that our current state is the result of mechanistic forces. I don't use the words "mindless" and "without intent" because I don't start with the presumption of consciousness. Therefore, "mindful and intentional" would be the non-default position for me that would require explicit explanation.
So, what is this "significant philosophical impact" that you are talking about?
