Comments | solo1y: How Can You Be Sure?

solo1y

How Can You Be Sure?

Apr 21, 2011 21:40

I get asked by people who should know better why I'm an atheist instead of an agnostic. They say things like "You can't know for certain!" This is, of course, true, in the sense that you can't know anything for certain. But we live our daily lives under a specific set of assumptions which serve us well, and we believe these things even though it is ( Read more... )

religion, science, manifesto

Comments 5

mytholder April 22 2011, 09:36:45 UTC

Since when is Agnosticism only about "the Christian god"? Surely it's perfectly possible to disbelieve in the God of Abraham (and all the other gods of mythology), but still retain open to the possibility that there is some cosmic force that's best described as 'God'.

solo1y April 22 2011, 17:04:56 UTC

I overwhelmingly have these conversations with Christians, so most of my atheist/agnostic stuff is bent in that direction. However, as you say, the post is about all gods.

When people believe in "some cosmic force", it's usually functionally identical to atheism, for the same reasons that agnosticism is functionally identical to atheism.

agnosticism in the face of childhood anonymous April 22 2011, 20:49:35 UTC

I'm actually fairly careful to be precisely agnostic, especially in conversations with my 5 year old.
Niamh: "Do you believe [in] Fairies/The Tooth Fairy/Mermaids?"
Rob: "I don't think they exist. I've never seen one. I've never seen any evidence of any. Maybe they exist but I've never just seen them."
Niamh: "We'll, I've seen spots on ladybirds, and fairies paint them on, so if the spots exist, fairies exist."
Rob: "How do you know the fairies painted the spots on. Maybe they came on some other way?"
Niamh: "Don't be silly. If spots exist, fairies exist."
She is only 5. Evidence is a big word.

Re: agnosticism in the face of childhood solo1y April 23 2011, 01:20:30 UTC

I think "Maybe they exist but I've just never seen them" is a perfect answer for a five-year-old. Then, when she develops the mental and emotional tools to be able to process information in a mature fashion, she'll have a good starting point.

ext_452769 April 23 2011, 09:41:45 UTC

Agree completly. I am an atheist, and proud of it.

Should we have a march like "GAY PRIDE"??