Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - The "New Atheism," the vocal minority making the rest of us look bad, or more?

pig · 10-29-2006, 10:57 PM

Just a quick point about Ockham's Razor: it doesn't imply the simpler solution is correct. It simply states that given two theories which are indistinguishable from the evidence / data provided, the simpler solution is more probable. In many cases, this turns out to be pretty valid. Simple mechanisms tend to be more robust. Of course, its not always the case, but its a decent place to start when you're stuck in a rut and you need traction.

Mr. Self : I agree on the distinction in definitions with atheism / gnosticism. I want to know if your understanding is the same as mine:

1. atheist: one who lacks a positive belieft in a theistic philosophy / worldview.
2. theist: one who believes in deities.
3. gnostic: one who believes it is possible to prove the existence of deities.
4. agnostic: one who believes it is impossible to prove the existence of deities.

The reason I ask, is that I consider myself a gnostic atheist. The reason being that I lack a positive belief in deities, and yet if such a deity were to exist, then I guess I'd have to suppose that all the mystical stuff about him/her/it could conceivably be true too. Therefore, if he/she/it could make the world out of nothing in a couple of days or whatever other version of creation account you opt for, it seems entirely reasonable that he/she/it could make me believe in him/her/it. I mean, we're talking God here.

For the record, while I don't intend to take to the streets, and under my definitions I consider myself to be a spiritual person and typically find more in common with moderate / liberal religious types than I do rabid atheists...it does somewhat irk me that many people around me can publicly profess their faith and belief in whatever god they believe in (down here in SC it's usually JC), which I might be inclined (when I'm feeling like an asshole) to ascribe to being simply a personified projection of all the stuff man can't handle...and yet if I mention that I don't happen to be a believer, I'm the crazy one.

10-29-2006, 10:57 PM	#49 (permalink)
pig pigglet pigglet Location: Locash	Just a quick point about Ockham's Razor: it doesn't imply the simpler solution is correct. It simply states that given two theories which are indistinguishable from the evidence / data provided, the simpler solution is more probable. In many cases, this turns out to be pretty valid. Simple mechanisms tend to be more robust. Of course, its not always the case, but its a decent place to start when you're stuck in a rut and you need traction. Mr. Self : I agree on the distinction in definitions with atheism / gnosticism. I want to know if your understanding is the same as mine: 1. atheist: one who lacks a positive belieft in a theistic philosophy / worldview. 2. theist: one who believes in deities. 3. gnostic: one who believes it is possible to prove the existence of deities. 4. agnostic: one who believes it is impossible to prove the existence of deities. The reason I ask, is that I consider myself a gnostic atheist. The reason being that I lack a positive belief in deities, and yet if such a deity were to exist, then I guess I'd have to suppose that all the mystical stuff about him/her/it could conceivably be true too. Therefore, if he/she/it could make the world out of nothing in a couple of days or whatever other version of creation account you opt for, it seems entirely reasonable that he/she/it could make me believe in him/her/it. I mean, we're talking God here. For the record, while I don't intend to take to the streets, and under my definitions I consider myself to be a spiritual person and typically find more in common with moderate / liberal religious types than I do rabid atheists...it does somewhat irk me that many people around me can publicly profess their faith and belief in whatever god they believe in (down here in SC it's usually JC), which I might be inclined (when I'm feeling like an asshole) to ascribe to being simply a personified projection of all the stuff man can't handle...and yet if I mention that I don't happen to be a believer, I'm the crazy one. __________________ You don't love me, you just love my piggy style