*[I believe] Atheism is an absurd worldview

[Midnight Rain]

/Do you consider theism to be a worldview?

/If atheism is not a worldview, then what is it?

Theism isn't a worldview. Atheism isn't a world view. But your worldview may be theistic or atheistic in nature.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

/Do you consider theism to be a worldview?

No, for the same reason I don't consider atheism a worldview.

/If atheism is not a worldview, then what is it?

It is a singular position on a single subject; that subject being whether or not the indivudal believes in a God, and the position being that they don't.

 

[ArtieE]

/Do you consider theism to be a worldview?

No. If I ask a person about his worldview and he answers "I'm a theist" I would assume that he didn't know what the word worldview means.

/If atheism is not a worldview, then what is it?

An absence of belief in the existence of gods.

 

[Curious George]

That's inaccurate. A worldview is a collection or set of beliefs that colour or inform our view of the world. Atheism cannot be said to be a collection of beliefs, nor does it necessarily inform or colour our view of the world (as one does not need to be aware of the God concept in order to qualify as an atheist). The definition you are using is so broad that "eating a burger" could be considered a worldview, as someone who is eating a burger has a particular conception of a world in which they are eating a burger.

Wrong. Go look it up. My definition was fine.

Needless to say I find it ironic that you who argue for the broadest definition of atheist, is now arguing for the narrowest definition of "worldview."

Regarding the rest of your post I will answer after work.

 

[Curious George]

Not in this context. You could talk about a "cat lover's" world view as opposed to the worldview of a person who is not a cat-lover. What special worldview is required to have to not be a cat-lover?

It is simple really. If atheists can be discerned from theists then it follows they have a different worldview.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

Wrong. Go look it up. My definition was fine.

I have yet to see a definition of worldview which was not a set of beliefs, propositions or the sum total of how a person sees the world. Could you provide one?

Needless to say I find it ironic that you who argue for the broadest definition of atheist, is now arguing for the narrowest definition of "worldview."

What's ironic about accepting that some words have more narrow definitions than others? Is the fact that you have a narrower definition of "apple" than you do of "fruit" ironic?

 

[ArtieE]

It is simple really. If atheists can be discerned from theists then it follows they have a different worldview.

If you ask a person "What is your worldview" and the person answers "I'm not a theist" and that tells you much about the person's worldview so be it. I don't think it does. The person could be anything from a secular jew to a buddhist to a raelian to just a person with no particular beliefs in any direction.

 

[Augustus]

No. If I ask a person about his worldview and he answers "I'm a theist" I would assume that he didn't know what the word worldview means.

If someone said 'I'm an atheist' in answer to that question it wouldn't necessarily be 'wrong'.

There is a difference between what can be communicated by a word and what is necessarily communicated by a word. You'll even hear people like Sam Harris using phrases like 'the atheist community', which is not meant in the pure dictionary definition sense of atheist.

A word only means something in the context of how it is used after all.

Obviously atheism in the dictionary sense isn't a worldview in the weltanschauung sense though, although it can be a significant part.

 

[ArtieE]

Obviously atheism in the dictionary sense isn't a worldview in the weltanschauung sense though, although it can be a significant part.

I suppose one could try to convince a secular Jew or a Buddhist that their worldview isn't Judaism or Buddhism but "atheism" and see how far one would get...

 

[Willamena]

Which is...?

...a view with no place for actual gods.

No, my objection is that there is no such thing as "THE atheist worldview". There are atheistic worldviews, but atheism itself is not a worldview.

As I said earlier, it is neither unusual nor controversial to conflate the terms, especially as "the atheist" in question is not any particular atheist.

What worldview?

The atheistic worldview.

Again, I have no problem with people saying there is such a thing as an "atheistic worldview". My problem is with people calling atheism itself a worldview or conflating atheism with unrelated positions. By the definition of a "worldview", atheism is not a worldview. I don't see why this is so difficult to understand. It's no more difficult to understand than saying eating a salad once constitutes a "diet".

Your objection is noted.

Can the conversation continue now?

 

[ImmortalFlame]

...a view with no place for actual gods.

That's not atheism, that's antitheism. Atheism is an absence of belief, not an absence of "place".

As I said earlier, it is neither unusual nor controversial to conflate the terms, especially as "the atheist" in question is not any particular atheist.

So all atheists share the exact same worldview?

The atheistic worldview.

The only thing all atheists share is an absence of belief in God. That cannot constitute a worldview by definition.

Your objection is noted.

Can the conversation continue now?

I thought we were having a conversation?

 

[Willamena]

That's not atheism, that's antitheism. Atheism is an absence of belief, not an absence of "place".

It is the atheist's world view. The anti-theist's world is one in which any belief in gods is considered to be undesirable.

So all atheists share the exact same worldview?

As I said, it's not about any particular.


If you don't wish to discuss the topic, which is the absurdity of the atheistic worldview, you're welcome to start your own thread about atheism not being a worldview.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

It is the atheist's world view. The anti-theist's world is one in which any belief in gods is considered to be undesirable.

No, atheism is in absence of belief, not an absence of "place".

As I said, it's not about any particular.

That's not the point. What positions do all atheists share aside from an absence of belief in God?

If you don't wish to discuss the topic, which is the absurdity of the atheistic worldview, you're welcome to start your own thread about atheism not being a worldview.

The only reason we're discussing this is because too many people are too stubborn to admit that atheism doesn't fit the definition of a worldview.

 

[George-ananda]

That's not the point. What positions do all atheists share aside from an absence of belief in God?

The belief that the world and life have no designed purpose.

The only reason we're discussing this is because too many people are too stubborn to admit that atheism doesn't fit the definition of a worldview.

I think the word 'worldview' can be fairly used in this regards in that it is a view that the world is purposeless.

 

[ArtieE]

If you don't wish to discuss the topic, which is the absurdity of the atheistic worldview,

We are commenting on the absurdity of saying that secular Jews, Buddhists and Raelians have the same worldview since they are all not theists.

 

[Willamena]

No, atheism is in absence of belief, not an absence of "place".

Now you're being silly.

That's not the point. What positions do all atheists share aside from an absence of belief in God?

As I said, it's not about particulars, it's about the atheist. The universal.

The only reason we're discussing this is because too many people are too stubborn to admit that atheism doesn't fit the definition of a worldview.

No, it's being discussed because someone said something wrong on the Internet.

 

[ArtieE]

The belief that the world and life have no designed purpose.

There is nothing that prevents an atheist from believing that the world and life has a designed purpose as long as the designer isn't a god.

I think the word 'worldview' can be fairly used in this regards in that it is a view that the world is purposeless.

Then you haven't heard of the Raelians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raëlism

 

[Rick O'Shez]

If you don't wish to discuss the topic, which is the absurdity of the atheistic worldview, you're welcome to start your own thread about atheism not being a worldview.

Atheism isn't a world-view.
Atheism isn't absurd.

Does that cover it?

 

[George-ananda]

There is nothing that prevents an atheist from believing that the world and life has a designed purpose as long as the designer isn't a god.Then you haven't heard of the Raelians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raëlism

I was speaking about classical western atheism.

 

[ArtieE]

I was speaking about classical western atheism.

I thought atheism was supposed to be one worldview where secular Jews and Buddhists and Raelians and "classical western atheists" all shared the same atheist worldview?