Atheism Topic Review
- Created by: blombus
- Created on: 07-04-21 17:11
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- Atheism Topic Reivew
- Agnosticism
- Suspension of the decision to accept or deny the existence of G-d
- Idea that the existence of G-d, or any ultimate reality, is unknowable
- Strong agnosticism
- "I don't know whether G-d exists, and neither do you"
- Assertion that it is impossible to know for sure whether G-d exists or not
- Ignosticism
- Coined by Sherwin Wine
- Not that the evidence for either side is lacking, but that evidence isn't possible
- Related to ideas of religious language as being meaningless
- Related the the idea of religious language being meaningless
- A.J. Ayer
- Essentially, you can't assert a position on a meaningless concept
- "I can't make a relevant assertion either way"
- From the Greek word for "without knowledge"
- Weak Agnosticism
- Belief that it may be currently unknown, but not necessarily unknowable
- "I don't know whether G-d exists, but maybe we can at some point"
- Current accepted meaning is about roughly equal odds on either side
- Reflects a post-modern idea of absolute certainties about truth and knwoledge
- New Atheism
- Emerged after 9/11 backlash on religion in the public sphere
- The term is particularly associated with Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins
- Militantly antitheistic
- Critiques of Religion
- Non-thinking
- Encourages blind faith and discourages questioning
- Infantile world-view
- Irrational and creates a childish outlook
- Impedes scientific progress
- Religious attitudes interfere with sceintific progress
- Non-thinking
- Responses to New Atheism
- Rejection of the idea that science and religion are incompatible
- Increase in in fundamental religious activity
- Increased platforming of religious believers and apologists
- Types of Atheism
- Other types of atheism
- Protest atheism
- Revolt against G-d on moral grounds
- Can be held with another atheistic position, or with agnostiicism
- "Even if G-d did exist, I could not morally accept worshipping Him"
- Examples include Stephen Fry or Iman from Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov"
- New Atheism
- Also known as antitheism
- Position that belief in G-d is not just incorrect, but even dangerous
- "I know that G-d does not exist, and you shouldn't believe in Him either"
- Generally a more 'active' philosophical position
- Protest atheism
- Anthony Flew in 'The Presumption of Atheism' (1972)
- Argues that atheism should be the default position
- Negative (weak) atheism
- Not a sure claim that G-d doesn't exist
- "I don't believe that G-d exists, but tell me why you do believe"
- Positive (strong) atheism
- Assertion that G-d does not exist
- "I know that G-d does not exist, here are my reasons. Tell me why you do believe"
- Other types of atheism
- Agnosticism
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