What is an atheist?

Here are the links shown in the video:

Austin Cline Quote:
http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutatheism/p/atheism.htm

American Religious Identification Survey 2001:
http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris.pdf

About Raising:
http://www.bartleby.com/68/65/4965.html

Much of this presentation was based on:
http://www.evilbible.com/Definition_of_Atheism_2.htm

An atheist is someone who believes there is no God. However, there is a slightly different definition (though not the dominant definition) which a minority of dictionaries, such as the Oxford Dictionary quoted in this video, which favour this alternative definition. This is that an atheist is someone who disbelieves in the existence of a God or Gods. This definition still does not say that everyone who isn't a theist is an atheist, but it does broaden the definition a little. To disbelieve means to refuse or reject the belief. It's still something someone has to do, people who are undecided do not fit in this category - they do not refuse to believe, they would just say that they're not sure. This is a bit iffy, so I think it really should be interpreted with the knowledge of the dominant definition, and interpret 'disbelieve' in an active sense.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• atheism
• atheist
• definition
• confusion
• theist
• theism
• dictionary
• macquarie
• God
• Austin
• Cline

[moyga]

Sigh. Go take a formal logic unit.

[Mozza314]

@moyga Could you point out a logical error here? I bet you can't.

[muhomorkaTa1Ha13OP]

@Mozza314 It's pretty obvious actually! Nobody can prove or disprove if god exists. Theist say they believe ( which has nothing to do with knowledge), the rest are just more honest and say they don't know and ( considering the fact that there are no evidences supporting the belief) they simply don't believe it's true. Knowledge and belief are not comparable.

[Bourtini]

@Bourtini Ok, I think I have an idea now of "lack of belief", the misconception is that is it has to do with anyone that holds no active belief in theism, I assume. Lack = not, not believing = doubt = disbelief. So, atheism would be both a disbelief in the existence of a god and belief that a god does not exist, describing weak and positive atheism. Agnosticism and atheism are remaining exclusive.

[Bourtini]

@Bourtini Any dictionary defining atheism as disbelief, doubt, or "do not believe" apparently refer to "lack of belief" when you can see doubt, disbelief and/ or "lack of belief" maintaining equal usage in whatever phrasing. I do not understand "lack of belief", though, but I do see some dictionaries addressing atheism in this manner.

[Bourtini]

Great video. I happen to be of the opinion that the notion of atheism as a "lack of belief" arose around the concept of atheism as disbelief, as in the Oxford Dictionary. According to the Collins English dictionary and Merrian-Webster, disbelief is doubt, and doubt is a lack of belief. However, doubt is not relevant to a position of agnosticism, it is neither faith nor disbelief in the existence of gods.

[andrewdrury1]

Atheism is the opposite of religion. It's the lack of religious beliefs. Religion is a practice, atheism is the principle of not practicing or believing religious ideologies. Agnostic is kind of the same in that respect but its basically, depending if you're agnostic theist, or agnostic atheists, one tending to side with the belief or disbelief but still keeping an open mind to the other end of the spectrum. You cannot prove or disprove the existence of god or any other deity.

[lessevdoolbretsim]

I think most Atheists balk at your definition of Atheist mainly when it used by Theists to claim supposedly that Atheism is some sort of religion, which is totally bogus.

[TheMaqic79]

its simple agnostycizm Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable.[1][2] Agnosticism can be defined in various ways, and is sometimes used to indicate doubt or a skeptical approach to questions. In some senses, agnosticism is a stance about the difference between belief and knowledge, rather than about any specific claim or belief. :-)

[steverock85]

When people make those claims it is called false dilemma. What belief do new born baybies have?

The truth is that you don't have to be theist, atheist or agnostic. You can be unsure, or simply not know.

Being agnsostic, atheist or theist is a claim to know.

It may sound silly but consider what socrates said: "I know that I know nothing"

Maybe he was not agnostic, but it is this claim that can make you agnostic.

I am "strong" agnostic as I believe it is unknowable to know if god exist

[BigLundi]

"Everyone agrees these guys are theists."

(Example stick figures)"We believe in god!"

"Everyone believes these guys are atheists."

(Example stick figures)"We believe there is no god!"

Yes...but why did you leave weak atheism completely out of the picture?