Sorry to grossly over simplify, but what I'm reading is this:
If we follow Chad W's description of nihilism, we can't be sure of our sensory perception of the world or our ability to reason or the existence of any capital T truths. So atheism leads to not knowing anything and a bleak existence.
But if god exists all is real and there are capital T truths.
I can see the problem. Delve to far into metaphysics and you're likely to conclude we can't know anything at all. But even those who make that conclusion go right on acting as if our sensory and reasoning processes work just find. Find me a skeptic so far gone he'll stick his hand into a fire because he doesn't have any reason to believe his hand is real and I'll believe there's a real doubter out there.
The problem is that you have to reason your way into the problem (which requires that which we are supposed to be doubting) and everyone still able to navigate the world knows better than to trust reason in the face of what appears to be reality too far without very careful confirmation. So no one really goes there. By this definition there are no real nihilists.
Now, having stated this problem that we ignore to our physical benefit, I ask the question does god solve this dilemma?
I think not. If we doubt our ability to reason and to perceive, surely we doubt any innate knowledge of god. Announcing faith in god is no different than announcing, as I proudly do, that the world is generally consistent with my perception and reasoning and so I shall continue to believe in it. But wait. Believing in god requires two presumptions: 1) I can reason and perceive; and 2) god made that so. So where is the need for or proof of 2?
There's certainly no need, but if you demand capital T truths of justice and goodness, perhaps god is necessary for that. But, god doesn't appear to provide that answer here in this life or least not ones that are agreed upon by all believers in a god or gods, so I'll just live happy with my subjective truths. OK?
There atheism without nihilism.
If we follow Chad W's description of nihilism, we can't be sure of our sensory perception of the world or our ability to reason or the existence of any capital T truths. So atheism leads to not knowing anything and a bleak existence.
But if god exists all is real and there are capital T truths.
I can see the problem. Delve to far into metaphysics and you're likely to conclude we can't know anything at all. But even those who make that conclusion go right on acting as if our sensory and reasoning processes work just find. Find me a skeptic so far gone he'll stick his hand into a fire because he doesn't have any reason to believe his hand is real and I'll believe there's a real doubter out there.
The problem is that you have to reason your way into the problem (which requires that which we are supposed to be doubting) and everyone still able to navigate the world knows better than to trust reason in the face of what appears to be reality too far without very careful confirmation. So no one really goes there. By this definition there are no real nihilists.
Now, having stated this problem that we ignore to our physical benefit, I ask the question does god solve this dilemma?
I think not. If we doubt our ability to reason and to perceive, surely we doubt any innate knowledge of god. Announcing faith in god is no different than announcing, as I proudly do, that the world is generally consistent with my perception and reasoning and so I shall continue to believe in it. But wait. Believing in god requires two presumptions: 1) I can reason and perceive; and 2) god made that so. So where is the need for or proof of 2?
There's certainly no need, but if you demand capital T truths of justice and goodness, perhaps god is necessary for that. But, god doesn't appear to provide that answer here in this life or least not ones that are agreed upon by all believers in a god or gods, so I'll just live happy with my subjective truths. OK?
There atheism without nihilism.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
