Are babies atheist?

[ArtieE]

Nope, saying a god does not exist means not one god exists. None. Silly little semantic game. It is grammar Artie.

Which god are you referring to when you say "a god"? Since "a god" is singular?

 

[Curious George]

Which god are you referring to when you say "a god"? Since "a god" is singular?

Any god, because not one of them exist.

 

[ArtieE]

Then yes, you do have a cat in your house.

Saying "a cat" is the same as saying "one cat". I have two cats.

 

[idav]

I'm not sure I follow that since I haven't heard 'not theism' as its own category.

That's what I was trying to explain, I am one of those and not the other, being pantheist. In other words, I'm not theist, but then I guess it depends how you use the word "not". Oh dear, I might need some coffee.

Sorry that made no sense. I meant nontheism applies to me but not theist does not. Not theist is like when you point at someone and say that person is theist then you point to another person(or baby) and say that person is not theist.

 

[Curious George]

Saying "a cat" is the same as saying "one cat". I have two cats.

No it is not the same as saying one cat.

Let's play a grammar game to get you to see the point. A person says I have had a job since I was 14. Does this necessarily mean that they have had one job since they were 14?

 

[ArtieE]

No it is not the same as saying one cat.

Let's play a grammar game to get you to see the point. A person says I have had a job since I was 14. Does this necessarily mean that they have had one job since they were 14?

So if he says "a job" it means that he's had all jobs? Like if a person says "a god" it means "all gods"?

 

[Curious George]

So if he says "a job" it means that he's had all jobs? Like a if a person says "a god" it means "all gods"?

Did you just answer the question with a question?

Fine, I will answer yours first. Yes it refer can to all jobs; no he is not saying he has had all jobs. Any job or jobs can fill the statement. The statement is not limited to any one job.

So, if he said he had not had a job that means no job exists out of all the jobs that could make the statement he had a job true.

 

[ArtieE]

Fine, I will answer yours first. Yes it refer can to all jobs

This must be part of your grammar game.

no he is not saying he has had all jobs. Any job or jobs can fill the statement. The statement is not limited to any one job.

If you don't understand that when people say they have a (a) cat they don't mean they have five cats there's nothing I can do.

 

[Willamena]

The word "a" here refers to membership in a classification of things.

 

[Curious George]

This must be part of your grammar game.If you don't understand that when people say they have a (a) cat they don't mean they have five cats there's nothing I can do.

When a person says they have a cat that means they have at least one cat. When a person says they do not have a cat that means they do not have any cats.

It is simple artie. If you have been responding no to people who ask you if you have a blank, and the reason you have been responding so is that you have more than one blank, then I think you could brush up on your grammar.

 

[ArtieE]

When a person says they have a cat that means they have at least one cat.

I have two cats. If I said I have a cat people would think I have one cat. If a person said "I believe in a god" I would ask "which one" not assume he believes in all gods.

 

[Curious George]

I have two cats. If I said I have a cat people would think I have one cat. If a person said "I believe in a god" I would ask "which one" not assume he believes in all gods.

If you said you did not have a cat, people would assume you do not haveone cat or two cats or three cats or four cats.

If you said that you had a cat, it indicates that you have at least one cat.

Here is how the conversation works:

Person A) Do you have a cat?

Person B) why yes, I have two.

Person A) that is nice...

The conversation does not work like this:

Person A: Do you have a cat?

Person B: No, I have two cats.

If any one god does not exist, then no gods exist. It follows logically.

Your conception
If any one god does not exist, then multiple gods could still exist. This does not logically follow. It is mistaken.

 

[ArtieE]

If you said you did not have a cat, people would assume you do not have one cat or two cats or three cats or four cats.

If I said "I did not have a cat" people would assume that at some period in the past I did not have a cat.

If you said that you had a cat, it indicates that you have at least one cat.

No, it indicates that at some period in the past I did have a cat. One cat.

 

[Curious George]

If I said "I did not have a cat" people would assume that at some period in the past I did not have a cat.No, it indicates that at some period in the past I did have a cat. One cat.

Alright so the rabbit hole continues... this time you are correct, I should have put those in quotes and used present tense.

You are still incorrect with your understanding of a and what logically follows.

 

[ArtieE]

Alright so the rabbit hole continues... this time you are correct, I should have put those in quotes and used present tense.

You are still incorrect with your understanding of a and what logically follows.

Let's not continue down the rabbit hole. Back to the subject. The question is not really whether babies are atheists. The question is whether there is such a thing as implicit atheism. Implicit and explicit atheism - Wikipedia

 

[leibowde84]

By believing that the concept doesn't correspond to reality.

Is there a deeper point you're getting at? Your question seems pretty trivial, so I feel like I'm missing your intended meaning.

I just don't feel like "reject" is the right word for it. Just a semantic point. But, nonetheless, one who doesn't believe in God is not rejecting God or rejecting some kind of gift available to everyone (as many religious people claim), they are rejecting the notion that God actually exists in reality. So, they aren't rejecting God.

 

[leibowde84]

Atheism is absolutely not a negative term. It is a position. And if we could remove the people who thought that the existence of god was evidenced enough to rival atheism, then atheism would be the most rational position.

Now a bit on your agnosticism. Firstly, I wouldn't say that I am using it incorrectly. It was originally used to describe the position of a person who does not know and believes they cannot know. I am retaining the does not know and restricting the cannot know to the moment it is claimed, not the infinite future. Moreover, I am not arguing that we should use definitions based on etymology. I am arguing that my definition of atheist, someone who believes god does not exist, is better than yours. I have explained why it is better logically. The only remaining straw that is left for people who wish to define it in the broadest since is by using etymology.

I say fine, if you want to go that route I can't change history, but then babies are not atheists still.

But, there is a very good, almost paramount reason to define the term broadly, not specifying specific beliefs (for the most part). Theism is extremely broad. It covers monotheism, polytheism, and deism along with every subcategory below each of them. It merely means you are in the god fearing crowd. All those that aren't should properly be identified as atheist.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I just don't feel like "reject" is the right word for it. Just a semantic point. But, nonetheless, one who doesn't believe in God is not rejecting God or rejecting some kind of gift available to everyone (as many religious people claim), they are rejecting the notion that God actually exists in reality. So, they aren't rejecting God.

I mean "reject" as in "reject the claim as false," not "reject" as in "spurn."

 

[Willamena]

I have two cats. If I said I have a cat people would think I have one cat.

Only if they failed to practice English.

Edit: Or... if they skipped those classes, because they thought, "Oh, I know how to talk English. I don't need no class to teach me how to speak."

 

[idav]

The word "a" here refers to membership in a classification of things.

As in you are not a theist. Did I just classify you in terms of a theist? Not to be confused with atheist.