Atheist

[mikkel_the_dane]

If something cannot be explained what it is, then we cannot possibly make any truth based statement about it.
Any conclusion about it would not even be wrong.

Ciao

- viole

Yes, but in some cases someone can still act on it. And that it is the truth as I have just done that.

 

[PureX]

Ooh I love finding the answers to something that can’t be explained. Gives life zest.

Well, you love thinking that you found the answer. In fact, you simply imagine an answer and then accept it as being the answer. But if that brings you joy, then so be it.

 

[Mock Turtle]

This threads dead. Guess there’s no atheists here that believe anything without evidence. Oh well.

I can't answer for any others really, but I would assume that being an atheist at least makes most of these prepared to question one of the most important things (if there is a God or not), and doing so perhaps makes them more sceptical as to many other things too - if the evidence is not likely to be strong enough to form a belief. Hence why so many will perhaps not accept any of the paranormal stuff or similar, even where there appears to be so many having personal experiences of these things. But this doesn't eliminate the possibility that one can be atheist and have any sort of other belief that might contradict current scientific opinion - given that science does fortunately change when better evidence emerges - as it always has done.

 

[Jimmy]

Well, you love thinking that you found the answer. In fact, you simply imagine an answer and then accept it as being the answer. But if that brings you joy, then so be it.

Nah

 

[ChristineM]

Do atheist’s form some of their own ideas on how we got here and where we’re going or do they just believe what science tells them? Do they believe in anything that can’t be explained? Genuinely curious here. I know not all would have fantastical ideas but some? Any atheists out there who are different?

Atheist here and i believe in lots of things, some even without evidence, i.e. i believe my twins will go to university after they finish college.

One thing i and every other atheist does not believe in is god. After that its open season.

 

[Jimmy]

Atheist here and i believe in lots of things, some even without evidence, i.e. i believe my twins will go to university after they finish college.

One thing i and every other atheist does not believe in is god. After that its open season.

Yeah not askin about if you believe you’ll eat today haha

 

[ChristineM]

Yeah not askin about if you believe you’ll eat today haha

Perhaps you could hsve been more precise in the OP.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Perhaps you could hsve been more precise in the OP.

What is your overall worldview? That is the open season for all us.

 

[HonestJoe]

This threads dead. Guess there’s no atheists here that believe anything without evidence. Oh well.

The thread was dead on arrival because you asked a question based on a fundamental flaw that you refused to acknowledge when it was pointed out.

If you're thinking about any question starting "Do atheists...." that doesn't end "... believe in gods?", you should already know the question is almost certainly flawed. You can try changing the characteristic from atheism to something similar to try to understand how meaningless is it.; ask yourself the same question as "Do theists...", "Do vegetarians..." or "Do message board forum posters...".

The entire point of this kind of term is to identify or categorise a singular characteristic about a person. If there is any consequence that applies to everyone with that characteristic, it would be a fundamental part of the characteristic by definition.

 

[Alien826]

I asked you to clarify the question. Until you do that, you have no answer. What do you mean by "magical thinking"? Be more specific.

I'll try to define it. I have a lot of examples, but getting to an accurate description ... it seems to about assigning meaning to things where no such meaning can be shown. Examples follow. I'll avoid religious based ones which are easier, but we're talking about atheists.

I need something and it suddenly becomes available. Logical deduction, it happened by chance, or my concentration on the need made me more aware of things around me. Magic thinking, something mysterious happened to direct me to that thing.

I just miss colliding with another car. Logical deduction, there are many factors involved, this time they came together to avoid the accident. Magic thinking, there is some kind of power that looks after me.

 

[Jimmy]

The thread was dead on arrival because you asked a question based on a fundamental flaw that you refused to acknowledge when it was pointed out.

If you're thinking about any question starting "Do atheists...." that doesn't end "... believe in gods?", you should already know the question is almost certainly flawed. You can try changing the characteristic from atheism to something similar to try to understand how meaningless is it.; ask yourself the same question as "Do theists...", "Do vegetarians..." or "Do message board forum posters...".

The entire point of this kind of term is to identify or categorise a singular characteristic about a person. If there is any consequence that applies to everyone with that characteristic, it would be a fundamental part of the characteristic by definition.

Far from flawed.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Far from flawed.

Yeah, it seems you don't understand that.

 

[Jimmy]

Yeah, it seems you don't understand that.

Ain’t got time for big long pretentious arguments

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Ain’t got time for big long pretentious arguments

Okay.

 

[Copernicus]

I'll try to define it. I have a lot of examples, but getting to an accurate description ... it seems to about assigning meaning to things where no such meaning can be shown. Examples follow. I'll avoid religious based ones which are easier, but we're talking about atheists.

I need something and it suddenly becomes available. Logical deduction, it happened by chance, or my concentration on the need made me more aware of things around me. Magic thinking, something mysterious happened to direct me to that thing.

I just miss colliding with another car. Logical deduction, there are many factors involved, this time they came together to avoid the accident. Magic thinking, there is some kind of power that looks after me.

Thanks. Not sure whether this is what Moon meant, but I suppose Moon has so far declined to elucidate. Of course, atheists are just people who reject belief in gods, but that doesn't mean that they are incapable of thinking illogically or irrationally. Human reasoning is fundamentally grounded in associations, so one would be unlikely to find anybody who did not have a tendency to believe in fate or luck. I doubt that all compulsive gamblers believe in gods. However, I think that most atheists would take a more skeptical attitude towards such irrational associations.

 

[Jimmy]

Thanks. Not sure whether this is what Moon meant, but I suppose Moon has so far declined to elucidate. Of course, atheists are just people who reject belief in gods, but that doesn't mean that they are incapable of thinking illogically or irrationally. Human reasoning is fundamentally grounded in associations, so one would be unlikely to find anybody who did not have a tendency to believe in fate or luck. I doubt that all compulsive gamblers believe in gods. However, I think that most atheists would take a more skeptical attitude towards such irrational associations.

Creative thought doesn’t mean it’s irrational or illogical.

 

[Copernicus]

Creative thought doesn’t mean it’s irrational or illogical.

I didn't say it was. I was talking about Alien's attempt to explain your term "magical thinking", since you ignored my request for you to explain it.

 

[Soandso]

Do atheist’s form some of their own ideas on how we got here and where we’re going or do they just believe what science tells them? Do they believe in anything that can’t be explained? Genuinely curious here. I know not all would have fantastical ideas but some? Any atheists out there who are different?

Speaking for myself, there are things I know fairly well and things I'm more ignorant to. When it comes to the big bang, quantum physics, or other topics I know little about, I'm happy to just shrug my shoulders and be honest that I don't know. I'm comfortable in my own ignorance, but I do seek the truth and am willing to change the way I see the world in light of better evidence

When it comes to concepts that seem likely to me that I can only get through assumption, I place those on a different shelf than the one that I rest my actual beliefs on. I kind of view my own atheism in this way, too. Even though I consider the concept of god unlikely, I don't place the idea that "gods do not exist" on the same shelf that I place gravity or other testable things on. When it comes to specific gods, I'm a little more certain though

 

[fantome profane]

2 billion Christian’s believe Jesus physically rose and that heaven is real. Not science. All atheists or most reject stuff like that and accept only real things such as the things science can demonstrate. So yeah atheists are science based. But what I want to know is if they secretly behind closed doors have some magical thinking. I know not all think magically, but some?

When I was in my early to mid teens I was very much into the “occult”. I believed in ghosts, I believed in psychic powers, I believed in lots of magical thinking. But I did not believe in “God”.

Is that what you are looking for?

 

[Jimmy]

When I was in my early to mid teens I was very much into the “occult”. I believed in ghosts, I believed in psychic powers, I believed in lots of magical thinking. But I did not believe in “God”.

Is that what you are looking for?

Sure anything science would call nuts