Atheists and information

[RedDragon94]

I watch a lot of atheist videos on Youtube. And not only am I entertained, I am challenged to back up what I believe with science. Granted, I am challenged to take everything I learn from Christianity (I still consider myself a Christian) with a grain of salt as a result of the information presented on the internet, but I still have a question about how atheists gain their scientific knowledge. Do I simply just need to go to school in order to gain knowledge? Is Wikipedia a good source of information? How many hours a week would you say that you read? Would you recommend any good sites that are educational as far as science is concerned? If you don't pay attention to me or don't know me very well one interesting fact about me is that I have interest in a lot of different forms of spirituality so I might send you a conversation starter about certain questions that I have about your way of thinking. Thank you.

 

[Valjean]

Why should atheists need any "information?" Atheism is the epistemic default position.

Burden of proof isn't on the atheists.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Is Wikipedia a good source of information? If you don't pay attention to me or don't know me very well one interesting fact about me is that I have interest in a lot of different forms of spirituality so I might send you a conversation starter about certain questions that I have about your way of thinking. Thank you.

Yes, I consider Wikipedia the best first source of information. If you are a Christian, why are you interested in other religions? I have no interest in Abrahamic religions. What is this 'conversation starter' supposed to achieve? Why not just a post in the forum?

 

[RedDragon94]

Why should atheists need any "information?" Atheism is the epistemic default position.

Burden of proof isn't on the atheists.

So basically what you're saying is that atheists don't need to do their homework on the theories of evolution in order to believe it?

 

[Bunyip]

So basically what you're saying is that atheists don't need to do their homework on the theories of evolution in order to believe it?

Well no - evolution is not a belief. It has nothing to do with atheism, an atheist need have no idea what evolution even means. The theory of evolution is just an explanation, not a belief system.

 

[Valjean]

So basically what you're saying is that atheists don't need to do their homework on the theories of evolution in order to believe it?

?????
What does atheism have to do with evolution, or evolution with atheism?

 

[Bunyip]

Basically, if you want to learn more about biology - look into biology. If you want to learn more about cosmology - research cosmology, or talk to a cosmologist. Atheism is just the default for those of us who do not believe in gods. Atheism does not speak to biology, cosmology or quantum physics - it is simply a label for people who are not theists.

 

[columbus]

So basically what you're saying is that atheists don't need to do their homework on the theories of evolution in order to believe it?

I got a pretty good grounding in basic science from the Christian schools I went to for 12 years.
Tom

 

[Laika]

I watch a lot of atheist videos on Youtube. And not only am I entertained, I am challenged to back up what I believe with science. Granted, I am challenged to take everything I learn from Christianity (I still consider myself a Christian) with a grain of salt as a result of the information presented on the internet, but I still have a question about how atheists gain their scientific knowledge. Do I simply just need to go to school in order to gain knowledge? Is Wikipedia a good source of information? How many hours a week would you say that you read? Would you recommend any good sites that are educational as far as science is concerned? If you don't pay attention to me or don't know me very well one interesting fact about me is that I have interest in a lot of different forms of spirituality so I might send you a conversation starter about certain questions that I have about your way of thinking. Thank you.

I think the main thing to enjoy what you're doing and suddenly what looks like a lot of information become digestable. There isn't necessarily a single type of atheist, but for having a naturalistic view of the world (seeking natural rather than supernatural explanations) does mean atheists often take an interest in Science. I'm a bit odd as Atheism is more of a moral and philosophical position, but as it's a personal belief and I enjoy thinking about it, I will do a fair amount of reading without really noticing it. I can kind of 'cheat' in terms of scientific information, but I think eventually I'm going to have to read up on science if I'm to get a better understanding of how the world works. I have philosophical issues with the idea of the 'big bang' but until I really know what I'm talking about I won't know if they hold up to scruitiny.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

There isn't necessarily a single type of atheist, but for having a naturalistic view of the world (seeking natural rather than supernatural explanations) does mean atheists often take an interest in Science.

Theists are encouraged to take an interest in science too.

 

[Aupmanyav]

In religions other than Christianity or Islam. For them all science is contained in the Bible or the Qur'an.

 

[Vishvavajra]

So basically what you're saying is that atheists don't need to do their homework on the theories of evolution in order to believe it?

Everybody should do their homework to understand basic scientific theories.

The bemusement you're seeing in others is coming from the fact that atheists don't regard the theory of evolution as if it were an atheist doctrine. Everybody believes in the theory of evolution, religious and otherwise, apart from a small minority of fundamentalists. It's those fundamentalists that have associated evolution with atheism.

But yes, if you feel you've been sheltered to the point where you don't know much about the world, then it's time for you to educate yourself. You can take courses, or you could just spend some time at the library and on Wikipedia. Just keep in mind that Wikipedia is always at least two steps away from the primary evidence, and the people doing the interpreting don't always understand what they're looking at. The idea is that over time mistakes will get corrected by other people, but it can take a while.

It's sad, but a lot of fundamenalist groups try to keep their members from learning much about the world, since knowledge is seen as threatening to their belief system. Atheists, as the people they're most likely to end up arguing with, can seem much better informed by comparison. But there are some well educated religious people too. The point is to learn as much as you can and make your own decisions.

 

[dust1n]

I still have a question about how atheists gain their scientific knowledge. Do I simply just need to go to school in order to gain knowledge? Is Wikipedia a good source of information? How many hours a week would you say that you read? Would you recommend any good sites that are educational as far as science is concerned?

I guess it really depends on what about science you are looking to learn.

Here's a great place to start on evolution (the entirety of the Yale class on Evolutionary Biology is available):