The Spanish Philosopher Unamuno once wrote'Those who deny God deny Him because of their despair at not finding

Question

Him'. Could you please give me your views on this statement? Thank you.

Answer 1

I think he is right. They only thing is-you must remember that not all people see G-d as you do. Money, fame, freedom, etc., may be what people look at as gods--and they cannot find it, or do not have it.

Answer 2

If you look for something and don't find it, you might get upset. However, he is only right if you are sure the thing that you are looking for exists. If I say, find that talking frog which I know doesn't exist, I would hope you'd make sure there was such a thing before you start wasting your time looking.

So, an atheist is only acting out of desparation if he is convinced that there is a god but hasn't seen any evidence. Of course, if he's convinced, then he's no atheist. The philosopher is speaking rhetorically and I don't think his statement is meant to be any logical truth.

Answer 3

I'd disagree. Those that deny the existence of a supreme being aren't necessarily looking for one at all. For anyone to feel despair at not finding something, presupposes that the existence of that something is unquestionable before the search begins. The assertion is therefore a false logic.

To me, Unamano's statement reveals an uncertainty in his own belief that a higher being exists, and his assertion is an attempt to rationalise his own doubts.

Answer 4

You are kind to Miguel. He was always caught between the worlds of reason and tradition. This is why it's better to think of him as an essayist, or even a poet, than a philosopher. He never quite managed to give us a clear idea of his way of thinking - and thus some people think of him as a "pre-existentialist." That sentiment itself posits his futile attempts to reconcile the worlds he lived in - a world wherein God was brought back to the political life of the nation by fascists.

Answer 5

I take Philosophy at St Andrews university. I also take Divinity.

I can safely say that Unamuno was not a philosopher who appreciated the field of rationalism or logic. As a devout agnostic his inability to come off the fence is shown in his work. A quotation of his sums up his agnosticism perfectly: "My religion is to seek for truth in life and for life in truth, even knowing that I shall not find them while I live". This defiant attitude of scepticism shows that the philosopher lived his life being disatsfied by the arguments on both sides of the argument. Clearly the statement above carries a religious, pro-God flavour as the philosopher is implying that atheists are born out of being unable to have a personal relationship (finding) with God rather than a logical perception of the world and natural science.

Answer 6

Some people say they do not have a desire to look for God, and they don't. I don't think that the majority of non-Christians are in despire over not-finding, they just aren't aware that they should be finding. They deny Him, becasue they do not feel that they need him. When a soul realizes that they need him, then they start the process of finding God, who WILL NOT hide, which makes the whole process enjoyable, not sad.

Answer 7

The weakness of this statment is to presume those who deny god were looking for god in the first place. It is true some people who have searched for god and who have failed to find him have despaired, but to presume this to be true for all people who have failed to find god, or for all people who have denied god is illogical.

Answer 8

What a retard.

Listen to this story. Professor of physics goes to the Dean and says we need a few hundred million pounds to build a new particle accelerator - Dean says why are you physics lot so damn expensive - the Mathematics department only ask for pen, paper and a waste basket - philosophers are even better - they dont even need a waste basket.

Get it?

Answer 9

This would be true of Bertrand Russell. He was raised Anglican and said he was disapponted at not finding God.

Answer 10

It may be true, to a certain extent. I think most people are seeking something, but they have become disillusioned for various reasons. Sometimes it is because of religious institutions or religious history, which they see as fanatical or backwards. Baha'u'llah taught that we shouldn't rely on man-made institutions, superstitions or traditions in our path to God. The true seeker must sever himself from all things and become a lover of light, in whatever place it shines, truth in whatever place it dwells. He wrote:

"But, O my brother, when a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth."
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 192)