In both Part I and Part II of this very intermittent series, I argued that the terms “agnosticism” and “atheism” were best used to describe distinct and mutually exclusive, though vaguely delineated, positions regarding the existence of deities. An atheist would tick the “no” box when asked whether at least … Continue reading
Tag Archives: atheism definition
Why I Am No Longer an Atheist
Guest post by BillyBob The word atheism is simplistic and confusing. Atheists get asked facile questions like “are you a hard or soft atheist?” or “how do you know atheism is accurate and correct?” and many variations of these questions. It is a waste of time answering that atheism is … Continue reading
The Meaning Of Atheism, Part 2: Three Ways To Lack Belief
Is an atheist someone who doesn’t believe in gods, or someone who believes there are no gods? It’s a hairline distinction, irrelevant for most practical purposes, but there clearly is a theoretical difference between the two definitions. Anyone who lacks belief satisfies the first, but only those who consciously reject … Continue reading
Is Anything Possible?
Guest post by BillyBob Recently on this site, there has been a discussion about whether an atheist should say gods do not exist or that atheism is a lack of belief in gods. The underlying concern is can you prove a negative, which brings up the question is anything possible? … Continue reading
The Meaning Of Atheism, Part 1: Clearing The Air
Atheists tend to be a gloriously disputatious bunch, which is not surprising for a group united only by rejection of the blandishments and superficial consolations of religion. Atheists, it sometimes appears, are people who can argue about anything – and as if to prove the point, we Canadian Atheist readers … Continue reading
Atheists are not Automatically Sociopaths: A Scientific Refute of a Meme
This gem popped up in my Facebook feed today. Like many internet memes, I have no idea of its origins but I hope it’s not indicative of what people really think about atheists (i.e.: atheist = sociopath). But just in case, I thought I’d go through this meme’s assertions sentence … Continue reading