How many strong assumptions do unbelievers need?

[Joods]

Will add to my reading list. Thanks!

[robvalue]

No problem! It's the nearest thing to a guarantee I can give that you won't regret it

[Joods]

BAM! is going to love me this upcoming weekend.
fyi: BAM replaced Borders Book stores here and stands for Books A Million.

[pocaracas]

Curious, what is this "42" I've seen a few times now?

You don't know about 42?!



GOOGLE IT!

[watchamadoodle]

Assume a natural world with no cause.
Assume our consciousness is just an illusion.
Assume our choices are just an illusion.
Assume there is no purpose or design.
Assume the randomness in QM is without purpose or illusionary.

That's the best I can do.

[Surgenator]

Assume a natural world with no cause.
Assume our consciousness is just an illusion.
Assume our choices are just an illusion.
Assume there is no purpose or design.
Assume the randomness in QM is without purpose or illusionary.

That's the best I can do.

WHAT!? No that is not what any atheist has to believe or assume.

1) Does natural world has no cause.
Answer: I don't know.
Practical answer: It doesn't matter when it comes to my everyday life.
2) Is consciousness an illusion?
Answer: I don't know.
Practical answer: It doesn't matter when it comes to my everyday life.
3) Are our choices an illusion?
Answer: I don't know.
Practical answer: It doesn't matter unless I want to plead insanity for a crime I was (maybe) determined to commit.
4a) Is there a purpose?
Answer: I don't know.
Practical answer: If there is, the purpose is terribly communicated.
4b) Is the universe designed?
Answer: I don't know
Practical answer: Not for life. Dark energy is the favorite child of the universe not us.
5a) Is the randomness in QM without purpose?
Answer: purposeful randomness is an oxymoron. Do you understand what these words mean?
Practical answer: WTF!?
5a) Is the randomness in QM illusionary?
Answer: Doesn't seem like it.
Practical answer: I rather listen to guys studying the subject than the guys interpreting an old text.

[Ravenshire]

Curious, what is this "42" I've seen a few times now?

I thought everyone at least had this explained to them.

Go read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams or no kudos for you.

(j/k )

[watchamadoodle]

---

Assume a natural world with no cause.
Assume our consciousness is just an illusion.
Assume our choices are just an illusion.
Assume there is no purpose or design.
Assume the randomness in QM is without purpose or illusionary.

That's the best I can do.

---

WHAT!? No that is not what any atheist has to believe or assume.

True, but I interpreted (or misinterpreted ) the question to be asking for assumptions necessary to accept metaphysical naturalism 100%.

5a) Is the randomness in QM without purpose?
Answer: purposeful randomness is an oxymoron. Do you understand what these words mean?
Practical answer: WTF!?

My definition of random would be a future event that is impossible to determine by only measuring the current state of the natural world. If there is something outside the natural world, then these random events might be serving some purpose?

[abaris]

How many strong assumptions do atheists and agnostics need to make? The weaker and more modest a claim is the easier it is to defend in a dialogue with others. I could just point out theists and supernaturalists have fail to support/prove highly speculative-controversial claims needed to rationally warrant strong belief. I don't have to make claims about metaphysical naturalism being true, or even assume methodological naturalism to not hold supernaturalism and theism to be true. 
What do you think?

Honestly, I don't need any assumptions. I don't believe because there's no case to be made for believing. And as far as conversations are concerned, I usually don't have any about religion. Usually because I happened to have one with a work collegue just the other week. Didn't last long and went like this: Me atheist, he agnostic, which amounts to the same.

As I said repeatedly. In my country, religion just doesn't crop up when talking to other people. There are a thousand other interesting things to talk about.

[Cephus]

None.  All of the assumptions that I've seen in this forum so far are things that believers also require, hence it isn't a requirement only for unbelievers.  I cannot think of anything that we need to argue for that are not equally argued for by everyone else as well.