(July 2, 2014 at 3:59 pm)blackout94 Wrote: With all the available evidence, information, knowledge, why do people still have theistic beliefs, even when all their arguments are successfully countered and debunked? Why do people believe even after realizing there is no inductive or deductive evidence or proof that god exists? Is it merely wishful thinking?
Because for some people it still serves a purpose.
I've said this before recently, dumb ideas do not last for thousands of years unless they serve some useful purpose for humanity, whether it be social or personal (and recent studies suggest a bit of both).
It seems extraordinary to me that what scientific method clearly demonstrates is that while there is no proof for the existence of deities there is equally no evidence for their non-existence. Which means at best because the existence of deities is not falsifiable it is not a scientific theory - so what? Theists are not claiming it is.
We also have to look at our own atheist history, atheism can be traced back to the protestant movement in the middle ages, Atheism was certainly in existence in Elizabethan England (mid to late 1500s), but these atheists did not have the scientific evidence and theory we have now, their assertion was as much a leap of faith as any other theistic position. It's easy to look back with the knowledge we now have but atheism's origins are just as irrational as theism in light of the information we have today. It seems convenient to forget this for many atheists.
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)
