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We live in a culture that loves to put labels on people. And most of us take part in this when it comes to ourselves. Liberal, conservative, gay, straight, black, white, etc. As someone who doesn't spend a lot of time reading up on atheism, I sometimes struggle to figure out what category I fall into. I looked up atheism and agnosticism. Within atheism, there's weak and strong atheism and upon my admittedly quick read, I was a bit confused as to what the difference was between agnostic and weak atheist. I also took a test at BeliefNet. I scored 100% Secular Humanist. Trying to navigate through all the definitions and subtle distinctions just gives me a headache. So can someone give me a really basic definition of these terms.
I'm not looking for a cut-and-paste from Wikipedia. I just want the common sense, everyday language definitions and maybe a quick way of determining where on the spectrum I fall.
It just feels like there's some overlap between some of the terms. In particular, I'm not clear on the difference between an agnostic and a weak atheist. How do you know which one you are? Not that I expect to find myself in atheist circles anytime soon, but it would be nice to correctly state which one I am if asked.
Well, i can say for sure, that Atheist would be someone who doesn't believe in any deity, period, 100%
Anything less then that would fall into Agnostic, following by any other type of religion. So if you have any doubts, you're an agnostic. I don't see a need for strong/mild/or whatever else is there.
We live in a culture that loves to put labels on people. And most of us take part in this when it comes to ourselves. Liberal, conservative, gay, straight, black, white, etc. As someone who doesn't spend a lot of time reading up on atheism, I sometimes struggle to figure out what category I fall into. I looked up atheism and agnosticism. Within atheism, there's weak and strong atheism and upon my admittedly quick read, I was a bit confused as to what the difference was between agnostic and weak atheist. I also took a test at BeliefNet. I scored 100% Secular Humanist. Trying to navigate through all the definitions and subtle distinctions just gives me a headache. So can someone give me a really basic definition of these terms.
I'm not looking for a cut-and-paste from Wikipedia. I just want the common sense, everyday language definitions and maybe a quick way of determining where on the spectrum I fall.
Thank you.
You are correct in that the agnostic position is very similar to that of a weak atheist, yet there is a subtle distinction.
Most agnostics feel that they cannot say whether there is a supernatural being. Some take a 50/50 chance approach, perhaps even lower, and many also feel that it is just not a question that we can answer. Some even believe that it is not a question that we may ever be able to answer.
In contrast, a weak atheist holds that, even though we cannot definitely show that a supernatural being doesn't exist, there is very little or no evidence of its existence. As such, it is reasonable to conclude that it doesn't exist, in the same approach you follow with fairies, monsters etc.
The distinction is not purely semantic, but at the same time the positions are very close. I happen to be a weak atheist myself, FWIW.
You are correct in that the agnostic position is very similar to that of a weak atheist, yet there is a subtle distinction.
Most agnostics feel that they cannot say whether there is a supernatural being. Some take a 50/50 chance approach, perhaps even lower, and many also feel that it is just not a question that we can answer. Some even believe that it is not a question that we may ever be able to answer.
In contrast, a weak atheist holds that, even though we cannot definitely show that a supernatural being doesn't exist, there is very little or no evidence of its existence. As such, it is reasonable to conclude that it doesn't exist, in the same approach you follow with fairies, monsters etc.
The distinction is not purely semantic, but at the same time the positions are very close. I happen to be a weak atheist myself, FWIW.
I prefer the dawkins version instead of weak vs strong
In that sense, I'm de facto, since it's neither possible to prove or disprove the existence of a god (or unicorns, or aliens, etc). However, just like UFO's visiting Roswell, I feel the probability of there being any deity is so low that there is no reason to believe it exists.
In that sense, I'm de facto, since it's neither possible to prove or disprove the existence of a god (or unicorns, or aliens, etc). However, just like UFO's visiting Roswell, I feel the probability of there being any deity is so low that there is no reason to believe it exists.
I agree with you and would classify myself as de facto as well. However, I was explaining the terms the OP asked to define. I don't like the weak/strong classification that much since it has negative connotations.
Being a weak atheist doesn't sound too good.
In that sense, I'm de facto, since it's neither possible to prove or disprove the existence of a god (or unicorns, or aliens, etc). However, just like UFO's visiting Roswell, I feel the probability of there being any deity is so low that there is no reason to believe it exists.
Using the spectrum of theistic probability, I would categorize myself as a de facto atheist. The definition Dawkins uses sounds like the definition of a weak atheist. If that's not the case, hopefully someone here can point out the distinction.
I guess one reason I've been reluctant to label myself an atheist is because of all the negative connotations that are attached to the word. I know that's not a good reason though. After all, if someone's gay, they shouldn't be afraid to call themselves that, no matter what everyone else thinks of the word. But weak atheist doesn't sound great either because of the word weak. It's sort of like saying you're weakly pro-choice. When I hear people say that, I'm tempted to say to them "Get off the fence and take a stand. Don't embrace a position with such reluctance." But I know I'm not a strong atheist. Like Dawkins says, there probably aren't many in that category. After all, how can you know for sure that there isn't one. I don't believe in Santa. But I can't prove he doesn't exist.
The problem is that if you're talking with just the average person who isn't versed on atheist thought, when you say you're an atheist, they'll conclude that you're what the rest of us know as a strong atheist. To the average person, when they hear you're agnostic, they don't think about theistic probabilities. They just think you don't believe in God, that you think he's unlikely to exist, but that you can't prove it. That, to me, sounds more like what a weak atheist is. So there's a disconnect between what we think atheists and agnostics are and what the mainstream thinks it is. So you either have to label yourself agnostic when you know you're really a weak atheist, or the burden is on you to explain to others that you're an atheist, but not to the point where you can prove God doesn't exist. That's a big problem us atheists deal with. How many times has someone, upon discovering you were an atheist, called on you to prove that God doesn't exist. In my experience, that challenge is only issued to atheists. Agnostics don't seem to be asked to offer up that proof, at least not in my experience.
Oh well. Thanks to all of you who replied.
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