Isn't Atheism a belief?

Question

and not knowledge. Atheism : the belief that god is not. Theism the belief that god is... and people like marx sartre lenin.. a sort of prophet

Answer 1

Atheism is believing there is no god. Agnosticism is believing there may or may not be a god. Theism is believing there is a god. All are beliefs. In light of the fact that no conclusive proof can be made for or against the existence of god, Agnosticism is the approach which is most "rational." Atheists do not know there is no god any more than theists know there is one. Both classes, however, do have their beliefs concerning the existence or non-existence of god.

Atheism is a belief, and not knowledge.

Answer 2

For the record, and to clear up the confusion here, there are TWO main types of atheism. The first is called "weak atheism" and is simply a lack of belief in gods...nothing more, nothing less. The second is called "strong atheism," and is a positive assertion that there are no gods.

Weak atheism is not a belief, but a lack of belief. We are all, for instance, weak atheists when we are born. A person raised in a culture where the concept of gods was foreign, would also be a weak atheist. In modern society, a weak atheist may also be a person who regards the existence--and hence worship--of gods as moot, irrelevant, and unworthy of serious consideration.

Strong atheism, OTOH, is a belief because it makes a positive assertion, that there are no gods. Of course we can not _prove_ the non-existence of anything, but with no proof that gods _do_ exist, the strong atheist merely puts gods into the same pool as unicorns, leprechauns, fairies, dragons, Medusa, and the infinite number of other conceivable things whose non-existence we can not absolutely prove. They are all on equal ground, none of them having any evidence to support their existence. So the strong atheist's thinking goes, "While I can't be 100% certain that gods don't exist, I can be 99.99999999% sure, which is so close to certainty that the logical position to support would be that gods do not exist."

Many theists will admit that no real evidence for the existence of gods is out there, and yet they still choose to elevate gods above the level of other fantastical things which are on equal standing, evidence-wise. Both weak and strong atheists see this, and note that theists have no reason for doing so. This tends to make us atheists feel all the more smug in our position. :-)

For more on whether atheism is a belief according to a number of freethinkers, check out the first couple of links below.

Answer 3

Sure Atheism is a belief, but it also very close to knowledge.
First of all let's use classical definition of knowledge:
Knowledge is -- justified true BELIEF![1]
Thus, you and me agree that atheism is a belief.
I will further argue that is justified. In general lack of belief in something that i have no evidence of existing is considered justified. For example I have no evidence that Space Pirates exist -- so i am justified in believing that no Space Pirates exist.
Similarly -- atheists see no evidence that God exists -- therefore they are justified in that belief.

The only question remains -- is the truth of the proposition "god dose not exist". Here i have to admit that atheists despite being justified in their belief MAY POSSIBLY be wrong. But if they are not wrong -- and god DOES NOT exists -- then atheism is knowledge.

So here you see a there is a Catch 22 -- atheism might be knowledge -- or might not be knowledge -- but to know that you would have to know if it true if god exists or not -- and that is begging the question.

Answer 4

In the sense that it declares "there are no pink elephants in the back yard" when I cannot see or hear what's in the back yard, then yes it is a belief; and the intrasigent, dogmatic approach of atheists is a mirror to theists that they rarely see themselves in.

In the sense that atheism mainly exists as a negation to the elaborate mental gymnastics often presented as necessary requirements of theistic belief, then no, atheism is not a belief but a kind of "antibelief" or nonparticipation in the belief thingee.

;-)

Answer 5

Atheism states there is no evidence for a god. Therefore, it is not so much a belief as being unconvinced by the evidence cited by believers.

A belief requires no evidence and also can exist in the face of overwhelming evidence against the belief.

Answer 6

Yess, in the same way that people who don't believe in Darwinism regard that as a belief or part of their belief. The opposite of matter is anti-matter; does that reduce it's importance? Only in the "matterists."
As US History-pics always show, "Never let a good story get in the way of the truth."

Answer 7

atheism is technically supposed to be a lack of belief. Its its supposed to be based on thought -- not belief. Unfortunately people try to make it a substitute for a religion, so in that is the dilemma.

Answer 8

Yes it is a belief. A belief in no God is just as much a belief as believing in many Gods, or one God.

Answer 9

Can you belief in facts and scientific evidence, or have the knowledge that its objective reality without believing in it? I don't know, but 'belief' has the connotation of being subjective and in the same arena as 'faith' which is totally irrational.

Answer 10

Atheism is not a belief. It's a logical conclusion of known facts.