"Atheism is a world view"

[BeRational]

Ok, I'm an atheist.

Please elaborate on what my world view entails due to my atheism.

OK, as an atheist you believe that there is no sentient being that has created 'life, the universe and everything' and therefore .......

Nope. I have no views about any sentient being that has created 'life, the universe and everything'

Isn't that an awfully thin fence to be sitting on? No views one way or the other? Sounds a bit like trying to imagine 'nothing' .

It is an honest dont know answer.

[Rhiannon]

I'm not sure what you mean, Rose?

[Outrider]

I'm not sure what you mean, Rose?

Essentially, I think the essence of the point is that for most atheists atheism is just about a position on the possibility of gods. For the remaining few atheists, and for some theists (I'm not sure what sort of proportion) atheism is conflated with, or at least presumed to therefore result in, some combination of science, nihilism, anti-theism and/or 'philosophical naturalism'.

O.

[splashscuba]

Ok, I'm an atheist.

Please elaborate on what my world view entails due to my atheism.

OK, as an atheist you believe that there is no sentient being that has created 'life, the universe and everything' and therefore .......

Nope. I have no views about any sentient being that has created 'life, the universe and everything'

Isn't that an awfully thin fence to be sitting on? No views one way or the other? Sounds a bit like trying to imagine 'nothing' .

Surprisingly, I don't spend a lot of my time thinking about gods / religion

[splashscuba]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

[Walt Zingmatilder]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science

Science is a tool.If it is also a god what a strange god it is, one moment inventing vaccinations, the next 50 Megaton weapons.

[Aruntraveller]

If it is also a god what a strange god it is,

It's only you making that suggestion. Big straw thingy.

[Andy]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science

Science is a tool.If it is also a god what a strange god it is, one moment inventing vaccinations, the next 50 Megaton weapons.

The fruits of science are seeded from the nature you believe a god created. Go figure.

[Leonard James]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science

Science is a tool.If it is also a god what a strange god it is, one moment inventing vaccinations, the next 50 Megaton weapons.

The fruits of science are seeded from the nature you believe a god created. Go figure.

Yup! He certainly made a cock-up of creation.

[Nearly Sane]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science

Science is a tool.If it is also a god what a strange god it is, one moment inventing vaccinations, the next 50 Megaton weapons.

If god is the omnis, then that's your god, that is.

[splashscuba]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science

Science is a tool.If it is also a god what a strange god it is, one moment inventing vaccinations, the next 50 Megaton weapons.

As in believing in science as the only valid way of seeing the world.

What does that mean ? Do you dis-believe in mathematics ?

[Andy]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science

Science is a tool.If it is also a god what a strange god it is, one moment inventing vaccinations, the next 50 Megaton weapons.

As in believing in science as the only valid way of seeing the world.

That's scientism, and since it seems to me that most here are aware that science can't bridge the is/ought gap, that accusation is another straw man when played.

[Andy]

That's scientism, and since it seems to me that most here are aware that science can't bridge the is/ought gap, that accusation is another straw man when played.

I'm not saying it is, only that some people equate atheism with scientism so end up seeing the result as a worldview.

They assume atheists all hold that way of seeing things.

I know.

[Alien]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

Depends on whose definition of atheism you use (as posted earlier).

[BeRational]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

Depends on whose definition of atheism you use (as posted earlier).

Take it that not believing in gods is the one we mean until someone says differently.

[Dicky Underpants]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science

Science is a tool.If it is also a god what a strange god it is, one moment inventing vaccinations, the next 50 Megaton weapons.

If god is the omnis, then that's your god, that is.

Isaiah 45: 6,7

[wigginhall]

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."  Oops, not Christian. 

[splashscuba]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

Depends on whose definition of atheism you use (as posted earlier).

Then we need another word to describe not believing in gods

[Outrider]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

Depends on whose definition of atheism you use (as posted earlier).

Then we need another word to describe not believing in gods

Why? As 'Christian' can cover everything from Nigerian fundamentalists through American Evangelists to Quakers and the Mormons, I think you can handle 'atheist' covering both the agnostic and gnostic variants.

O.

[splashscuba]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

Depends on whose definition of atheism you use (as posted earlier).

Then we need another word to describe not believing in gods

Why? As 'Christian' can cover everything from Nigerian fundamentalists through American Evangelists to Quakers and the Mormons, I think you can handle 'atheist' covering both the agnostic and gnostic variants.

O.

But then Christianity IS pretty disparate in its different beliefs. Atheism is about not believing. Everything else is ....... everything else.

[Alien]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

Depends on whose definition of atheism you use (as posted earlier).

Take it that not believing in gods is the one we mean until someone says differently.

Why?

[Alien]

I think the idea of the Atheist world veiw is based on the assumption that Athiests believe in Science and are the same in their world view as Richard Dawkins or other prominent ones.

Nope. Atheists just don't believe in gods

Depends on whose definition of atheism you use (as posted earlier).

Then we need another word to describe not believing in gods

Why? Agnostics don't believe in gods. Atheists of all shades don't believe in gods. Why not just use the terms "weak atheism" or "strong atheism"? Those are clear.

[Outrider]

Why? Agnostics don't believe in gods. Atheists of all shades don't believe in gods. Why not just use the terms "weak atheism" or "strong atheism"? Those are clear.

No, agnostics don't think they can prove or disprove the existence of gods, it has nothing to say on whether they believe or not.

Atheists don't believe. If they are gnostic atheists, they actively believe gods don't exist - they think that's demonstrable. If they are agnostic atheists they don't believe, but don't think there's sufficient evidence to conclusively demonstrate that, they simply rest on the provision that the case for gods has not been proven.

O.

[Shaker]

Atheists don't believe. If they are gnostic atheists, they actively believe gods don't exist - they think that's demonstrable. If they are agnostic atheists they don't believe, but don't think there's sufficient evidence to conclusively demonstrate that, they simply rest on the provision that the case for gods has not been proven.

I would add that it's technically possible to hold both positions simultaneously (or sequentially, to be pedantic) depending on precisely which sort of god is posited - for example, some atheists say that the god of the Bible is pretty well conclusively disproven, or indeed any traditional omnimax god (problem of evil, etc.) but not a deist god, say, which is so vague and nebulous and devoid of postive characteristics that it's very difficult to disprove.

[Alien]

Why? Agnostics don't believe in gods. Atheists of all shades don't believe in gods. Why not just use the terms "weak atheism" or "strong atheism"? Those are clear.

No, agnostics don't think they can prove or disprove the existence of gods, it has nothing to say on whether they believe or not.

"Agnostic" is used in two* different ways as well. There are those for whom agnositicism means they think it is not possible to prove or disprove the existence of any gods and there are those who just say, "Dunno." For the latter, they may think that it is possible to discover whether any gods exist, but they've not been able to do it.

* Your definition is slightly different again.

Atheists don't believe. If they are gnostic atheists, they actively believe gods don't exist - they think that's demonstrable. If they are agnostic atheists they don't believe, but don't think there's sufficient evidence to conclusively demonstrate that, they simply rest on the provision that the case for gods has not been proven.

O.

OK with that, though I prefer the use of "weak" and "strong" due to possible confusion over the term "gnostic/Gnostic" and I like the idea of calling someone a "weak atheist"