| atheism Oct 30th 2011, 22:35 Noun: reorder quote sentences +ce | ← Older revision | Revision as of 22:35, 30 October 2011 | | Line 31: | Line 31: | | | # {{context|more broadly}} The rejection of belief that any deities exist, with or without the claim that "A deity exists" is false. | | # {{context|more broadly}} The rejection of belief that any deities exist, with or without the claim that "A deity exists" is false. | | | #* '''1965''', ''Philosophical Concepts of Atheism'' in Basic Beliefs: The Religious Philosophies of Mankind, Ernest Nagel, reprinted 1997 in ''Critiques of God'', edited by Peter A. Angeles, Prometheus Books, 1997 | | #* '''1965''', ''Philosophical Concepts of Atheism'' in Basic Beliefs: The Religious Philosophies of Mankind, Ernest Nagel, reprinted 1997 in ''Critiques of God'', edited by Peter A. Angeles, Prometheus Books, 1997 | | - | #*: As I see it, atheistic philosophers fall into two major groups; (1) Those which hold that theistic doctrine is meaningful, but reject it either on the grounds that (a) the positive evidence for it is insufficient, or (b) the negative evidence is quite overwhelming; and (2) those that hold that the theistic thesis is not even meaningful, and reject it (a) as just nonsense, or (b) as literally meaningless , but interpreting it as a symbolic rendering of human ideals.... Atheism is not to be identified with sheer unbelief, or with disbelief in some particular creed of a religious group. Thus, a child who has received no religious instruction and has never heard about God, is not an atheist - for he is not denying any theistic claims. Similarly in the case of an adult who, if he has withdrawn from the faith of his father without reflection or because of frank indifference to any theological issue, is also not an atheist - for such an adult is not challenging theism and not professing any views on the subject. | + | #*: ...atheism is not to be identified with sheer unbelief, or with disbelief in some particular creed of a religious group. Thus, a child who has received no religious instruction and has never heard about God, is not an atheist - for he is not denying any theistic claims. Similarly in the case of an adult who, if he has withdrawn from the faith of his father without reflection or because of frank indifference to any theological issue, is also not an atheist - for such an adult is not challenging theism and not professing any views on the subject.... As I see it, atheistic philosophies fall into two major groups; (1) Those which hold that theistic doctrine is meaningful, but reject it either on the grounds that (a) the positive evidence for it is insufficient, or (b) the negative evidence is quite overwhelming; and (2) those that hold that the theistic thesis is not even meaningful, and reject it (a) as just nonsense, or (b) as literally meaningless , but interpreting it as a symbolic rendering of human ideals... | | | #* '''1967, 2005''', ''Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', Paul Edwards, keyword ATHEISM <!--MacMillan Reference USA (Gale)|editor=Donald M. Borchert |origyear=1967 |year=2005 |edition=2nd |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Philosophy|The Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |volume=Vol. 1 |page=359 |(page 175 in the 1967 edition) |isbn=0028657802 |isbn13=9780028657806 --> | | #* '''1967, 2005''', ''Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', Paul Edwards, keyword ATHEISM <!--MacMillan Reference USA (Gale)|editor=Donald M. Borchert |origyear=1967 |year=2005 |edition=2nd |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Philosophy|The Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |volume=Vol. 1 |page=359 |(page 175 in the 1967 edition) |isbn=0028657802 |isbn13=9780028657806 --> | | | #*:On our definition, an 'atheist' is a person who rejects belief in God, regardless of whether or not his reason for the rejection is the claim that 'God exists' expresses a false proposition. People frequently adopt an attitude of rejection toward a position for reasons other than that it is a false proposition. It is common among contemporary philosophers, and indeed it was not uncommon in earlier centuries, to reject positions on the ground that they are meaningless. Sometimes, too, a theory is rejected on such grounds as that it is sterile or redundant or capricious, and there are many other considerations which in certain contexts are generally agreed to constitute good grounds for rejecting an assertion. | | #*:On our definition, an 'atheist' is a person who rejects belief in God, regardless of whether or not his reason for the rejection is the claim that 'God exists' expresses a false proposition. People frequently adopt an attitude of rejection toward a position for reasons other than that it is a false proposition. It is common among contemporary philosophers, and indeed it was not uncommon in earlier centuries, to reject positions on the ground that they are meaningless. Sometimes, too, a theory is rejected on such grounds as that it is sterile or redundant or capricious, and there are many other considerations which in certain contexts are generally agreed to constitute good grounds for rejecting an assertion. | | |
