Copernicus
Industrial Strength Linguist
I don't know whether my stand will generate any controversy, but let's see if there are any negative reactions. Here is my claim: Atheism is not mere lack of belief in gods. It is the rejection of belief in gods.
It is sometimes said that we are all born atheists, but that is just not true. We cannot be said to reject claims before we even consider them. Atheism can only be meaningful after one dismisses arguments in favor of God and/or gods. When an atheist claims that there is no evidence of God's existence, he means that the proofs offered so far have either not really been evidence, or it is insufficient evidence.
Now, I will go a step further and say that there is a difference between so-called weak and strong atheists. Strong atheists claim to have positive evidence against the existence of gods. Weak atheists tend to fall back on the claim that theists have so far failed to meet their burden of proof (meaning that all of their arguments fail).
BTW, the claim that atheism means just "not theism" because a- is a negative prefix in Greek is not a valid argument. It is an etymological fallacy. Word meanings are determined solely by usage, not by their etymological history.
Am I right to criticize the definition of atheism as mere lack of belief in gods?
It is sometimes said that we are all born atheists, but that is just not true. We cannot be said to reject claims before we even consider them. Atheism can only be meaningful after one dismisses arguments in favor of God and/or gods. When an atheist claims that there is no evidence of God's existence, he means that the proofs offered so far have either not really been evidence, or it is insufficient evidence.
Now, I will go a step further and say that there is a difference between so-called weak and strong atheists. Strong atheists claim to have positive evidence against the existence of gods. Weak atheists tend to fall back on the claim that theists have so far failed to meet their burden of proof (meaning that all of their arguments fail).
BTW, the claim that atheism means just "not theism" because a- is a negative prefix in Greek is not a valid argument. It is an etymological fallacy. Word meanings are determined solely by usage, not by their etymological history.
Am I right to criticize the definition of atheism as mere lack of belief in gods?
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