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I did, it you accuse me of equivocating in a response that I'm afraid made very little sense to me. Lexicographers do not define words, they record usages. Dictionaries describe the English language, they do not define it. Languages are living, evolving things that lexicographers struggle to keep up with - you seem to have it the other way about.
Bunyip, I have worked for a dictionary publisher--Random House--and spent years doing work in lexicography, although that is not my core linguistic training. I am actually more of a lexicologist--one who studies word meanings, as opposed to crafts definitions. I know what I am talking about. More to the point, I know something about the extent of my ignorance. You do not know the extent of yours. Reread what I wrote. I was quite clear about what the word "define" means in the usage I used.
Appealing to your own authority is not an argument. Lexicologists do not define words, as you said. Lexicographers record usages. It is a fundamental error. Perhaps re-read yourself. Dictionaries describe the English language. Lexicologists try to come up with an entry that describes the various usages as best as it can. It is not defining the term, it is describing the usage.
I have not believed in absolutely everything that it is possible to believe in but I didn't know about.
I didn't mention those to avoid more confusion and to put the emphasis on atheism.
But that happens to also be a default position, however, it is the default theist position. Every baby is born not believing in, and not knowing if God does or does not exist. That makes them implicit theists as much as implicit atheists. In other words, implicit theist/atheist simultaneous. It's a superposition state.
As I said, you do not know the extent of your ignorance. Lexicography and lexicology are not the same thing. They are two entirely different disciplines. And it might surprise you to know (unless you give it some thought) that lexicographers describe what they do as defining words. Everyone is in violent agreement with you that dictionary entries describe usage, except maybe prescriptive grammarians and the general public. So your continued insistence that I don't understand your point, or that I somehow disagree with it, is simply ludicrous. Clearly, you do not want to acknowledge that I agree to the point you are making, and I am quite puzzled as to why you seem to want to be in disagreement.
I think it reasonable and rational to consult dictionaries, but not all dictionary entries are reasonable or good definitions. If you had ever attended a meeting of lexicographers and/or lexicologists, you would understand what goes into such judgments. Unfortunately, you seem to have got your back up over just about everything I have to say on the subject.
There is nothing wrong with attacking proposed definitions and descriptions of usage. Lexicographers and lexicologists do it all the time.
That doesn't work. The default to holding a belief is not holding it. The belief in question is that a God exists.
Yeah, so you keep saying. Given that you are so reduced to petty personal attack - I won't bother reading further. I can safely assume that there will be nothing of greater value.
As you wish. I hope you'll give some of the points I made more thought when you calm down, but I fear that much of it was lost in the heat of argument.
A theist don't believe that God does not exist.
You can only be born an atheist and then become a theist by choice, not the other way around.
Please spare me your unsolicited projections on my state of mind.
Can you re-write that without the double negatives?
Which means that you had to move the negative from "don't believe" to "no god" part. Which you can't do when it comes to "don't believe in God"
I don't believe in the definition of atheist as "lack of belief in God".
so?
**facepalm**
I liked the definitions I read in the older philosophy books better than the new Internet dictionaries that have become so popular.