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A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
#1
A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
I've been speaking with RaphaelDrake, and he disagrees with the common definition of atheism that is strictly adfhered to on AF: that atheism simply means: lack of belief in god/s.

Raphael states that atheism is also this:

Atheism is the lack of belief in anything unproven/ Atheists don't believe anything supernatural without proof

So what do you think?
Is the above statement accurate for all atheists?
Is a-theism: literally not a(without) theism(belief in god/s)?
Is atheism also anti anything supernatural?
#2
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
Atheism is just a stance on the existence of gods. A lot of atheists also don't believe in the supernatural, but it is not mutually exclusive, this is down to the skeptic nature of atheists.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R Tolkien
#3
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
Nah, there are other terms for that, you're right frodo.
#4
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
I don't think that is a tenable position. I think we will always believe more than we can prove. Perhaps because proof is so hard to come by, but also because there is so much to do and actionable assumptions are also beliefs.
#5
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
It's just disbelief in gods.

There is no real term for disbelief in fairies or ghosts etc, but surely skepticism covers it?
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.

#6
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
Atheism simply means without theism. That's why there's an 'A' in front of the word 'theism'. It means without.

Stems from Greek. Theos - Belief in god. Atheos - Without belief in god.

On the matter of souls, spirits and ghosts, a person can believe in those things and still be an atheist. Seeing as 'atheist' means without belief in god. It's a stance only on the god claim, everything else is up for debate.

Theism is the claim, atheism is the response to it.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - Carl Sagan

Mankind's intelligence walks hand in hand with it's stupidity.

Being an atheist says nothing about your overall intelligence, it just means you don't believe in god. Atheists can be as bright as any scientist and as stupid as any creationist.

You never really know just how stupid someone is, until you've argued with them.
#7
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
I posted something similar a little while ago, and while I would say that atheists are 'generally' more skeptical about unproven, unprovable phenomenon - It is by no means a given and the definition a-theist holds and is not open to debate. The word means what it means, no room for ambiguity
#8
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
(August 1, 2012 at 4:50 am)Ace Otana Wrote: Atheism simply means without theism. That's why there's an 'A' in front of the word 'theism'. It means without.

Stems from Greek. Theos - Belief in god. Atheos - Without belief in god.

On the matter of souls, spirits and ghosts, a person can believe in those things and still be an atheist. Seeing as 'atheist' means without belief in god. It's a stance only on the god claim, everything else is up for debate.

Theism is the claim, atheism is the response to it.

This.

The topic of the meaning of atheism has been beaten to death here at AF.org...

Theist: belief in god
A-theist: lack of belief in god.

End of story!
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
#9
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
You can not believe in god but still believe in fairies.

Atheism is just a stance on gods not the supernatural in general.

Although it does make you less likely to fall for such woo it is by no means a guarantee.



You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.

Tinkety Tonk and down with the Nazis.




 








#10
RE: A different definition of atheism. Atheism isn't simply lack of belief in god/s
I know a couple of atheists who believe in ghosts, or spirits, or karma. I don't get it, though. To me, the basis of my unbelief in a god doesn't allow me to believe in anything else supernatural.



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