Atheist philosophy

[Sriram]

Hi everyone,

Probably the oldest existing philosophy in the world is an atheist philosophy. It is the Samkhya which is said to have originated in India during the Indus Valley period (about 2500 BCE) well before the Vedic period (1700 BCE).

According to this philosophy there are two basic realities...Purusha (Consciousness/Self) and Prakriti (Nature).  Purusha is trapped in Prakriti or Consciousness is trapped in Nature....and seeks to become free (Mukt).
 
Nature has its own realities which are ...Mahat (Intelligence) , Ahamkar (Ego) and Manas (Mind).  There is a hierarchy with Intelligence being above Ego and the mind. The Ego controls the mind.  The Mind in turn controls the brain and the means of knowledge (Jnana Indriyas) or the senses and the means of action (karma indryas) such as hands, legs, mouth, excretory organs.   

Nature works independently on its own while Consciousness gently guides its working in such a way that it can become free. Some schools of Samkhya think of the Purusha (Self) as individual beings. Some schools think of them as parts of a single common Purusha. In this philosophy there is no God even though it is not materialistic. 

Subsequent teachers like  Mahavira and Buddha basically followed the Samkhya school. 

For information.

Cheers.

Sriram

[splashscuba]

So lets list the tenets of the atheist philosophy:

1. A lack of belief in gods
2. er

[BeRational]

There is no such thing as atheist philosophy.

There is no such thing as atheist train spotting, or atheist stamp collecting, or, well you get the point.

[ekim]

Perhaps he means a philosophy which excludes the notion of a god.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

So lets list the tenets of the atheist philosophy:

1. A lack of belief in gods
2. er

Logic dodging!
Why? because point 1 can include people who believe there are no Gods.
If it is a credible position it would be in people who had never heard of God or gods.

[BeRational]

Logic dodging!
Why? because point 1 can include people who believe there are no Gods.
If it is a credible position it would be in people who had never heard of God or gods.

Atheism simply means not believing a god exists.

If someone believes a god does not exist, then of course they are in that group as well.

[Sriram]

Atheism simply means not believing a god exists.

If someone believes a god does not exist, then of course they are in that group as well.

Atheist philosophy is a philosophy that is not based on a belief in a God.  Samkhya is one, Jainism and Buddhism are offshoots. They all are  spiritual philosophies nonetheless.

[splashscuba]

Atheist philosophy is a philosophy that is not based on a belief in a God.  Samkhya is one, Jainism and Buddhism are offshoots. They all are  spiritual philosophies nonetheless.

So going down that rabbit hole means there are an infinite number of atheist philosophies.

preferring VW Beetles is therefore an atheist philosophy as no god is involved.

[floo]

Atheists don't have a philosophy, you either believe or you don't believe, imo.

[Aruntraveller]

Atheists don't have a philosophy, you either believe of you don't believe, imo.

*Pedant Alert*

Not quite correct. I'm sure many atheists have a philosophy - it's just not an atheist philosophy.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

The atheist condition can be due to having absolutely no conception of God or gods, this is tricky because a sense of something greater is often given as evidence of the divine.
Or it can be that there is no evidence/grounds which unfortunately is itself a philosophy.
Or it is a choice to act as if there are no gods which ,to be rational has to be philosophically grounded. Or it is a conviction that there are no gods.

[Maeght]

........ this is tricky because a sense of something greater is often given as evidence of the divine

Don't understand what you mean there.

[BeRational]

The atheist condition can be due to having absolutely no conception of God or gods, this is tricky because a sense of something greater is often given as evidence of the divine.
Or it can be that there is no evidence/grounds which unfortunately is itself a philosophy.
Or it is a choice to act as if there are no gods which ,to be rational has to be philosophically grounded. Or it is a conviction that there are no gods.

It is just the none belief in a god.

Nothing more, nothing less.

It's really simple to understand.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

So going down that rabbit hole means there are an infinite number of atheist philosophies.

preferring VW Beetles is therefore an atheist philosophy as no god is involved.

But as any theist might tell you without the creation there would be no VW Beetles.

[Sriram]

Atheists don't have a philosophy, you either believe of you don't believe, imo.

When I talk of an Atheist philosophy I don't mean a philosophy common to all atheists.  I am referring to philosophies that are basically atheistic ie. without any God.

[Shaker]

When I talk of an Atheist philosophy I don't mean a philosophy common to all atheists.  I am referring to philosophies that are basically atheistic ie. without any God.

Strictly true but so broad as to be useless, surely.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

It is just the none belief in a god.

Nothing more, nothing less.

It's really simple to understand.

It's as meaningful and as logically conclusive as Richard Dawkins posing in front of a full length mirror singing ''i'm simply the best''

[Aruntraveller]

It's as meaningful and as logically conclusive as Richard Dawkins posing in front of a full length mirror singing ''i'm simply the best''

Which in turn is as meaningful and logically conclusive as Aled Joes posing in front of a full length mirror singing "I'm Walking in the Air".

WTF are they putting in your water?

[wigginhall]

Talking about philosophies without any God becomes an empty phrase, as others have said.  For example, the philosophy of mathematics, as far as I can see, contains no reference to God, but it seems odd to describe it as an atheist philosophy.   I suppose haute cuisine is pretty atheistic as well.   And train-spotting, the horror, the horror.

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

I am guessing he wanted to give us some information on a Hindu philosophy related to metaphysics that does not include a god.

[Sriram]

I am guessing he wanted to give us some information on a Hindu philosophy related to metaphysics that does not include a god.

Yes....that's right. There are many ancient spiritual philosophies that don't include a God. Samkhya is one, Jainism and Buddhism are others. Taoism is another.

I am not talking of materialistic philosophies here. 

[jeremyp]

There is no such thing as atheist philosophy.

There is no such thing as atheist train spotting, or atheist stamp collecting, or, well you get the point.

Any philosophy without gods is an atheist philosophy.

[jeremyp]

Strictly true but so broad as to be useless, surely.

No.

For historical reasons, the distinction between atheist philosophies and thesis philosophies is useful. If nothing else, it tells us whether the proponents of the philosophy have started out by making a huge unwarranted assumption.

[ProfessorDavey]

There is no such thing as atheist philosophy.

There is no such thing as atheist train spotting, or atheist stamp collecting, or, well you get the point.

I think a better term is non theist philosophy - in other words a philosophy not based on the notion of a deity.

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

I think a better term is non theist philosophy - in other words a philosophy not based on the notion of a deity.

What's the difference between a non-theist and an atheist philosophy?

If we call something a theist philosophy, I don't think anyone is assuming that the philosophy is shared by all theists?

What's your reasoning behind Samkhya falling into the non-theist philosophy category and not the atheist philosophy category?