How does common sense lead to atheism?

Question

"Common sense" is often given as a reason one rejects the concept of deities.

"Common sense" is either something agreed upon by the general population or it is knowledge that you have which you consider simply obvious.

Atheism is not generally agreed upon. But if it is the second definition it is circular to cite this as a reason. "I believe X because I believe X."

Thoughts?

Answer 1

I don't say common sense leads to atheism.

I say logic and rational thought do.

Answer 2

I'll go with the second part of your definition of common sense being knowledge that you have which you consider simply obvious. That's how common sense leads to atheism. And let's make some substitution for your "Xs". How about the words "the bible". The sentence would then read, "I believe the bible because I believe the bible." Is that not your argument in a nutshell? Is that not circular reasoning? That is certainly the reasoning that has been used toward me from christians.

On the other hand, you have never heard something like, "I believe the big bang happened because I believe the big bang happenned." Instead an atheist would say, "I believe the big bang PROBABLY happenned because we have available an abundance of evidence that shows that it PROBABLY happenned." Big difference.

Answer 3

Common sense as is my understanding, is an everyday tool used to move through life. And is a widely accepted form of knowledge.

Common sense is usually derived over time and experience. It is taught. For example, a young child may not know a stove is hot, but an adult most certainly would have learnt this. It is basic life knowledge. It is not associated with religion directly. You may have everyday common sense, and still believe in unseen forces or deities. Common sense seems to be more of a simple means of daily survival.

Atheism is a non religious thing as you know. However, as we also know it is opposite religious "belief" and "faith". Atheists tend to use the term "reasoning" or "rationality".

Reasoning weighs evidence based on what can be proven or factual. It is a process of fact checking and questioning. Naturally any self respecting atheist will change their views if any new evidence should prove something else.

Rationality uses what we know in the physical world and compares it to what is probable based on science or the proven natural laws (like gravity for instance).

Religion is not fact based. Although like I said, a religious person can have daily common sense or use common knowledge (i;e: don't touch a hot stove). But, like an audience in a movie theatre, they accept at face value (this is a generality) what they are being presented. They somehow cease rationality and reasoning and accept a doctrine of belief and faith. The accept what they cannot see or sense, or actually prove exists.

Still there are others who walk in the grey area. Some go through a religious doubting time to become "born again" or vice versa (respectively).

I don't really know if I answered your question, I tend to blather on at times.

Thanks for posting such a great question! :)

Answer 4

I don't use common sense as a reason to be an atheist. Common sense is probably a misnomer and generally refers to experiential knowledge that is rarely formalized into why something works or doesn't. It rarely refers to a belief that you subscribe to.

I also don't agree that it's a circular argument if used as a reason for atheism (not the best but not circular). In this case it would mean: From my experience without a formalized rational it is obvious that a god or gods cannot exist. It is not equivalent to saying "I believe X because I believe X."

Answer 5

Common sense does not necessarily lead to atheism. Common sense is not really a tally of public perception, but as a sign that people are savvy. Scientific thought leads to atheism. Groundbreaking ideas start out with small groups and then grow. As an atheist, I base my knowledge on science, experience, evidence and research. Since there is no evidence of a God or higher deity, then I choose not to follow that fairy tale. My question: if the world is so complex that only God could make it, how was God made?

Answer 6

Even though I'm an atheist, I agree with that you're saying here.

EVERY person who takes religion seriously believes that their beliefs (or lack of them) are in some way or another a product of "common sense". What this really means is that many people have used some kind of reasoning process to get to their present belief system.

The rub though, is whether or not these are all based on well-thought premises. I see a lot of theists who seem to stand by the assumption of "deity is the only explanation for complexity", and atheists who seem to stand by the assumption of "the other religions of the world must be pretty similar to the one western-flavored religion I'm familiar with".

I think more atheists have to realize that spiritualists have had their own personal spiritual experiences and revelations that eventually led them to the beliefs they hold today. At the same time though, I think the spiritualists have to realize that trying to call the atheists "blind" for not experiencing the same thing is as pointless and annoying as pestering somebody to have the same favorite rock band or favorite food as you do.

Answer 7

That is an interesting supposition that the thought is circular--I had never thought of it that way before. I will need to think on it more.

I think atheism comes about because it is absurd to some to believe that there is a great invisible being in the sky who impregnanted a woman on Earth who gave birth to His son...and so forth and so on....or that God talked to an obstinate man on a mountain and gave him stone tablets, or that a man in a cave had visions of an archangel which led to the "ultimate" religion... NO OFFENSE! I don't see it as a common sense sort of issue though. I don't think Atheism is based on not believing something because they believe something else... I think atheism is based on not believing in anything spiritual.

I am not an atheist (I am agnostic) though so I am not qualified, really, to answer this question, never-the-less these are my thoughts...

Answer 8

I am not a philosopher, but If you actually think about it, the idea of a supreme deity leads to an obvoius conclusion.
Reason, based on our limited knowlege brings us to the obvious conclusion.

Faith on the other hand is a spritual matter, not a thought or common sense one.

Answer 9

Common sense would lead you to just the opposite conclusion regarding a diety. Creation is the best example. If I took all the pieces of a swiss watch and laid them on a table and waited for them to evolve into a fine time piece...how long would it take.

And this is only a non-biological entity. Many associates who are involved in DNA research have concluded that the complexities of DNA design could never have just happened. So common sense leading to denial of God, just does not make sense.

Also, since it is scientifically & mathematically impossible to prove that something does not exist, the best a rational person can do is be an agnostic. For common sense tells me that if I cannot prove God definitely does not exist, I must therefore assume it is possible for Him to exist, even if I still want to deny Him.

May God bless you as you search for His truth.

Answer 10

Some people are atheists without having any particular logical argument to back up their atheism. For some, it is simply the most comfortable position to take. This "comfort" is what they refer to as "common sense". It has nothing to do with how "common" their position really is.

Answer 11

I've never heard that common sense lead to Atheism.

I have heard many many times that you are more likely to be an atheist if you have a higher education. That is, the more scientific reasons you know for WHY things happen, the more likely you are to be skeptical that there is a guiding force.

If there is one thing you cannot say, however, is that highly educated people have common sense (or that they don't have it ... its unrelated).