RE: Why atheism is irrational
October 1, 2013 at 11:30 am
(This post was last modified: October 1, 2013 at 11:32 am by ManMachine.)
(September 24, 2013 at 11:14 pm)Vincenzo "Vinny" G. Wrote:
Once you step beyond the point of an assertion that deities do not exist (even if it's to explain why you make that assertion) you are into the realms of opinion.
Anti-theism, for me, is characterised by an active opposition to theism and I do not agree is always a part of atheism. I am not anti-theistic, I am, perhaps (through reasoning) ante-theistic, in so much as I reason there was no god(s) before they were dreamt-up. Many of the on-line atheist who are so vociferous in their anti-theism think (wrongly) that an atheist has to be a believer in the absolute 'truth' of the results of scientific endeavour, this negates the debate on the nature and purpose of science and is slightly misrepresentative of what science can deliver.
Personally, I do not need god(s), I can reason my existence without their existance, but I am sympathetic to those who do need a god and I can reason that there are evolved mechanisms that make people predisposed to need to believe in one. Naturally, any coherent system of belief will fulfil that need, even if that system of belief is science. The atheists you speak of behave as if science is a religion, they become fundamentalist in their defence of what they percieve to be scientific 'truth', of course, the more enlightened among us know better.
A blanket fear of intellectualism is unfounded, at the end of it all nothing exists except atheism and empty space, everything else is just opinion.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
