Atheism is an ideology: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|For a great many atheists, atheism does not merely signify “lack of belief” but is itself a kind of positive worldview, one that “includes numerous beliefs about the world and what is in it,” to quote the atheist philosopher Julian Baggini. [...He] agrees with the historian of religions James Thrower, who considers modern atheism to be “a self-contained belief system” – one predicated on a series of propositions about the nature of reality, the source of human morality, the foundation of societal ethics, the question of free will, and so on.<ref>Reza Aslan, ''[https://www.salon.com/2014/11/21/reza_aslan_sam_harris_and_new_atheists_arent_new_arent_even_atheists/ Sam Harris and "New Atheists" aren't new, aren't even atheists]'', Salon, November 21, 2014</ref>}}
{{quote|For a great many atheists, atheism does not merely signify “lack of belief” but is itself a kind of positive worldview, one that “includes numerous beliefs about the world and what is in it,” to quote the atheist philosopher Julian Baggini. [...He] agrees with the historian of religions James Thrower, who considers modern atheism to be “a self-contained belief system” – one predicated on a series of propositions about the nature of reality, the source of human morality, the foundation of societal ethics, the question of free will, and so on.<ref>Reza Aslan, ''[https://www.salon.com/2014/11/21/reza_aslan_sam_harris_and_new_atheists_arent_new_arent_even_atheists/ Sam Harris and "New Atheists" aren't new, aren't even atheists]'', Salon, November 21, 2014</ref>}}


{{quote|What I find is that unless an atheist has worked very hard on it, you can usually predict what their views are going to be on a range of subjects and you can often pick out their voting patterns. It's all statistical variations but the trend is undeniable.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmlnoItjfsY My Talk w/ Max Kolbe/Escaping Atheism - Is Atheism an Ideology?], 24 Nov 2017</ref>}}
{{quote|What I find is that unless an atheist has worked very hard on it, you can usually predict what their views are going to be on a range of subjects and you can often pick out their voting patterns. It's all statistical variations but the trend is undeniable. [...] It is an intellectual position and it does color how you view the world. [...] If you are an atheist, that is going to affect every single thing about your personality, and its going to be same if you're religious too.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmlnoItjfsY My Talk w/ Max Kolbe/Escaping Atheism - Is Atheism an Ideology?], 24 Nov 2017</ref>}}
 
==Counter arguments==
 
It is a trivial observation to say that some beliefs are correlated with others. This can be due to cultural factors, like certain groups having certain experiences in common, rather than being part of an ideology. We need to be remember that [[correlation does not entail causation]].
 
However, even the correlations between beliefs often don't hold across cultures or time periods. Atheists hold a diverse range of views, particularly when atheists from around the world are considered. The beliefs held be the [[New Atheist]] movement, which are sometimes called an ideology, are in a tiny minority.
 
[[Babies are atheists]] since they don't have any religious beliefs. They can't be said to hold an ideology either.


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 10:11, 9 June 2019

Some apologists claim that atheism as a ideology.[1]

"For a great many atheists, atheism does not merely signify “lack of belief” but is itself a kind of positive worldview, one that “includes numerous beliefs about the world and what is in it,” to quote the atheist philosopher Julian Baggini. [...He] agrees with the historian of religions James Thrower, who considers modern atheism to be “a self-contained belief system” – one predicated on a series of propositions about the nature of reality, the source of human morality, the foundation of societal ethics, the question of free will, and so on.[2]"
"What I find is that unless an atheist has worked very hard on it, you can usually predict what their views are going to be on a range of subjects and you can often pick out their voting patterns. It's all statistical variations but the trend is undeniable. [...] It is an intellectual position and it does color how you view the world. [...] If you are an atheist, that is going to affect every single thing about your personality, and its going to be same if you're religious too.[3]"

Counter arguments

It is a trivial observation to say that some beliefs are correlated with others. This can be due to cultural factors, like certain groups having certain experiences in common, rather than being part of an ideology. We need to be remember that correlation does not entail causation.

However, even the correlations between beliefs often don't hold across cultures or time periods. Atheists hold a diverse range of views, particularly when atheists from around the world are considered. The beliefs held be the New Atheist movement, which are sometimes called an ideology, are in a tiny minority.

Babies are atheists since they don't have any religious beliefs. They can't be said to hold an ideology either.

See also

References