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"Theism" isnt a personal description of belief. Atheists have to define what atheism means

DavidFirth

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
Mestemia said:
That is how I and most other atheists I have talked to, define it.

Now theists are all over the board with their definitions.
And I freely admit that I have talked to some atheists whose definition is way out there.
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I believe your definition is spot on.
 
McBell

McBell

Unbound
DavidFirth said:
What is an agnostic atheist? Or is that possible?
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My experience has been that those who self identify (for lack of a better term) as agnostic atheist believe that the existence of god is not and or cannot be known (agnostic) AND they lean towards non-existence (atheist).
 
DavidFirth

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
Mestemia said:
My experience has been that those who self identify (for lack of a better term) as agnostic atheist believe that the existence of god is not and or cannot be known (agnostic) AND they lean towards non-existence (atheist).
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Okay, that sounds good as well. I will go to you when I have such questions in the future.
 
McBell

McBell

Unbound
DavidFirth said:
Well, you do seem to have good common sense about it.
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You might have noticed that I frequently ask people to define words for me.
It is not me being a jerk, well, most of the time anyway, it is because they are using a word in a manner that it seems to me to mean something than what I believe the word to mean.

One example is the word porn.
Most people use the word meaning sexually graphic.
And for most people that is all the word means.

However, because someone was using it differently, I come to find out that porn is any picture, still or moving, that is offensive.
 
DavidFirth

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
Mestemia said:
You might have noticed that I frequently ask people to define words for me.
It is not me being a jerk, well, most of the time anyway, it is because they are using a word in a manner that it seems to me to mean something than what I believe the word to mean.

One example is the word porn.
Most people use the word meaning sexually graphic.
And for most people that is all the word means.

However, because someone was using it differently, I come to find out that porn is any picture, still or moving, that is offensive.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I didn't know that.
 
ADigitalArtist

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Onyx said:
Doesn't the dictionary define what atheism means?
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Dictionaries are common use. Which is fine for everyday use, lay use and so on. But it falls short of how terms are used in philosophy and theology, as well as it's etymological origin. (For example, atheism used to not mean without belief in gods because that's not what theism was. Theism was specifically the belief in a god who was governing the universe, which would have made deism atheistic.)
It also leaves out other terms not part of the common vernacular, like ignostic.
Nor does the dictionary do a very good job (as far as philosophy is concerned) with differentiating ideas under the atheistic umbrella, such as strong atheism vs soft atheism, implicit vs explicit atheism, Gnostic vs agnostic atheism.

But yeah, it will give you the ball park common use definition.
 
DavidFirth

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
ADigitalArtist said:
Dictionaries are common use. Which is fine for everyday use, lay use and so on. But it falls short of how terms are used in philosophy and theology, as well as it's etymological origin. (For example, atheism used to not mean without belief in gods because that's not what theism was. Theism was specifically the belief in a god who was governing the universe, which would have made deism atheistic.)
It also leaves out other terms not part of the common vernacular, like ignostic.
Nor does the dictionary do a very good job (as far as philosophy is concerned) with differentiating ideas under the atheistic umbrella, such as strong atheism vs soft atheism, implicit vs explicit atheism, Gnostic vs agnostic atheism.

But yeah, it will give you the ball park common use definition.
Click to expand...

Good post. I often check the online dictionary and arrive at these same conclusions.
 
ADigitalArtist

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
DavidFirth said:
Serious question. What is an Irreligious Agnostic Atheistic Apatheist? Does that mean you don't care?
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Irreligious part means I do not have a religion, since some atheists do have religion.
Agnostic means I do not know if a god exists.
Atheist means I do not believe a god exists.
Apatheist means I do not care if a god exists, more specifically that I do not believe the existence of gods should effect how I make moral or ethical judgements.
 
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