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Spectrum of theistic probability

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Just curious as to where everyone assesses themselves to be on Dawkins' "spectrum of theistic probability." For those unfamiliar with the scale, a description of it can be found here: Spectrum of theistic probability - Wikipedia

I'm a devout agnostic, inclined toward skepticism, so would say I am around 5.5.

I'm a 7 only because I wasn't raised in an immediate nor outside environment to where I was familiar with god/deity. The closest was going to funerals at my outside family's churches out of state. I have no concept of a deity--Hindu, Pagan, Nontrinitarian Christian-or otherwise. The word doesn't make sense to me in everyday reality. It's hard to be skeptical of a deity that doesn't have any existence in my worldview; so, I'm a 7.
 

Epic Beard Man

Bearded Philosopher
back...The problem with this theory is God is not something that can be measured in probability. If God is conscious of all things and knowing what Dawkins wrote, he could be immeasurable proving the atheist right....Or not....Writing theories on a conscious deity that KNOWS the universe is a stupid endeavor. If I was a deity I'd be invisible (or unknowable) just because so you work harder to prove that I exist. Sheesh. Why don't atheist shut up and live life and let God sort it out at the end.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Just curious as to where everyone assesses themselves to be on Dawkins' "spectrum of theistic probability." For those unfamiliar with the scale, a description of it can be found here: Spectrum of theistic probability - Wikipedia

I'm a devout agnostic, inclined toward skepticism, so would say I am around 5.5.
To quantify it makes no sense.
It's somewhat like dividing 1 by 0, & asking for a numerical answer.
Both are undefined.

But for all practical purposes, we have 100% no gods.
 

beenherebeforeagain

Rogue Animist
Premium Member
My agnosticism is based in my doubt in my own (and any other human's) ability to perceive or comprehend a universal, omnimax deity...I don't know, and doubt anyone else, can have any basis for giving odds as to whether or not God exists.

That is, I don't make an estimate of whether or not there is a God (given that God = omnimax universal creator deity) as I doubt human ability to know much of anything about such a deity, and I don't agree that "agnostic" means 50-50...

Therefore, I'm not on the scale, and have issues with the underlying assumptions.
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
. Sheesh. Why don't atheist shut up and live life and let God sort it out at the end.

. . . because God has no truck with this arrogant attitude.

Traditional Theists give atheists good reasons not to believe in God.

I am about a 3. I am pretty much agnostic to what believers call Gods in ancient religions. I would be indifferent, except for the fact that their beliefs in the contemporary world are dangerous to the survival of humanity.
 

Epic Beard Man

Bearded Philosopher
Traditional Theists give atheists good reasons not to believe in God.

That is like someone hating on the Los Angeles Lakers because they hate Kobe Bryant. Atheist like theist have had these arguments for decades. How many pages have I read David Hume regarding the existence of God and the remarks he has made? Or the many atheist who call God a delusion? Or the soon-to-be atheist who lost faith because of a tragedy? If I had a truck with God it would be with him not because of who believes in him. I left the Baptist faith because I got sick of the African-American community sensationalizing the Bible at the pulpit while the pastor after hours gets freaky with the congregates. These are human issues. If one truly disbelieves in the Creator then let them disbelieve and let God sort it out but when astrophysicist write books on delusions and there forth especially if that is not their realm of expertise it ruins their credibility.
 
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Epic Beard Man

Bearded Philosopher
The depth of your analysis is an inspiration to us all.
Tom

Well you need to have a more in-depth response that has some logical sense. I really don't understand why you even mentioned the KKK or Mike Pence. It made no sense nor did my response even warrant such a response from you.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
back...The problem with this theory is God is not something that can be measured in probability.
What theory? It's nothing more than a spectrum of beliefs about the existence of god. God isn't being measured at all, and one can do whatever they wish with it, although it's probably most often used to rank oneself. (As an agnostic I'm ranking myself a :) #6)

  1. Strong theist. 100% probability of God. In the words of C.G.Jung "I do not believe, I know."
  2. De facto theist. Very high probability but short of 100%. "I don't know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life on the assumption that he is there."
  3. Leaning towards theism. Higher than 50% but not very high. "I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God."
  4. Completely impartial. Exactly 50%. "God's existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable."
  5. Leaning towards atheism. Lower than 50% but not very low. "I do not know whether God exists but I'm inclined to be skeptical."
  6. De facto atheist. Very low probability, but short of zero. "I don't know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there."
  7. Strong atheist. "I know there is no God, with the same conviction as Jung knows there is one."

Why don't atheist shut up and live life and let God sort it out at the end.
Are you under the impressions that although atheist s don't believe god exists, they would wait for this nonexistent being to sort something out?

C'mon E B M, your reading comprehension and reasoning here don't speak well at all for a self-proclaimed philosopher, bearded or not.

And your testy remark about atheists talking too much is also quite telling.

.

.
 

Earthling

David Henson
back...The problem with this theory is God is not something that can be measured in probability. If God is conscious of all things and knowing what Dawkins wrote, he could be immeasurable proving the atheist right....Or not....Writing theories on a conscious deity that KNOWS the universe is a stupid endeavor. If I was a deity I'd be invisible (or unknowable) just because so you work harder to prove that I exist. Sheesh. Why don't atheist shut up and live life and let God sort it out at the end.

How could you possibly be a deity if no one knows you existed? Doesn't anyone know the simple definition of a god? Amazing.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
I'm a 2 or more precisely 1.5. To be a 1 I need to see God "face to face" which I've not done.
 

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Like most things, this question really applies more to the abrahamic view of gods and not much else. My answer will change depending on what sorts of gods we are talking about. I would be 'lower than 50%' on the mere concept of 'supernatural,' but not all gods are defined to be supernatural. Plenty of things called gods do exist, I just do not ascribe the term or any particular significance to them.

Lately my answer to the big question of whether or not gods exist is largely falling on the 'apatheistic' spectrum. I am apathetic towards the question because I don't believe the question itself or any answers I could give is significant.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
To quantify it makes no sense.
It's somewhat like dividing 1 by 0, & asking for a numerical answer.
Both are undefined.

But for all practical purposes, we have 100% no gods.
Pretty much this.

The article is poorly named. Dawkins' scale, while not particularly laudable, is clearly and explicitly meant to describe the degree of personal certainty of specific people. It does not at all attempt to describe actual probabilities of the existence of any deities.

Oh, and I am probably at around 6.9, give or take 0.1

Although these days I am much more of an apatheist and ignostic than an atheist.
 
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PureX

Veteran Member
It's a completely pointless spectrum without a commonly defined idea of "God". For example, if I were to define "God" as "warmth and wetness", I would be 100% sure that God is real, and effective in my life. If the next guy believed that the definition of "God" is a supernatural personality that chooses to hide itself from us to test our faith, then it would be very difficult for him to claim any degree of certainty of this. So the scale of surety tells us nothing us without some common understanding of what "God" is proposed to be. And I don't think that there is such a thing. As some people view "God" as literally being the character as depicted in Biblical texts, while others view that character as being only an artificial story-symbol representing an ideal that remains a fundamental mystery to us. And these two wildly varied views may well coexist within the same religious tradition and community, and there are many varied traditions and communities of theists among the 7 billion of us on the planet. The human definition of "God" cannot be nailed down is such a way as to make these kinds of quantitative assessments produce any insight. And the fact that Dawkins doesn't understand this only serves to cast doubt on his own ideas regarding theism.
 
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