(April 10, 2014 at 4:27 am)fr0d0 Wrote:(April 10, 2014 at 4:20 am)Jacob(smooth) Wrote: There is a subtle difference. My cat does not believe in God, but he does not believe that God does not exist. One is a positive, the other is a negative.
Yes I realise that. Both are fully atheist.
This is true. Also, the second is a subset of the first. It is possible to not believe in gods because you simply lack the belief (perhaps due to skepticism or ignorance). It is possible to lack the belief because you believe there are no gods. In either case, both represent a lack of belief, yet the second also asserts a negative claim about the belief in gods, as well.
So, the first option is probably the most pure definition of atheism, without any additional qualifiers added. The first option with the second option explicitly excluded (lack of belief without a negative belief) would define agnostic/weak atheism. The second option defines gnostic/strong atheism.
