RE: virus: Re:Lexicon definition of atheism still not changed

From: Blunderov (squooker@mweb.co.za)
Date: Thu Nov 20 2003 - 06:25:27 MST

  • Next message: metahuman: "virus: Re:Lexicon definition of atheism still not changed"

    metahuman
    > Sent: 20 November 2003 0851
    <snip>
    > [RIGHT/CANDIDATE1]
    > ATHEISM:(vl) Godlessness. Atheists accept that there is insufficient
    > evidence for the existence or non-existence of gods and/or that the
    > incoherent concept of gods causes their actuality to be logically
    > impossible.
    </snip>

    [Blunderov]
    I don't believe this definition can inspire complete confidence in its
    usefulness. It contains the clause 'evidence for the...non-existence
    of...'

    Statements pertaining to existence must surely be couched in a way so as
    to permit a falsification or be dismissed as meaningless? It is not
    possible to produce definitive evidence that there are NO fairies at the
    bottom of my garden unless we are prepared to defer the decision until
    the end of time. It IS possible to produce evidence that there ARE
    fairies at the bottom of the garden by the simple expedient of being
    there at the same time as any one fairy.

    To my mind, if we restrict ourselves to the statement that 'There is
    insufficient evidence for the existence of gods' then there is
    insufficient reason to bother oneself any further on the subject until
    somebody actually sights one. (I don't seriously entertain the
    possibility of there really being fairies at the bottom of my garden.)

    So is it really true, as is sometimes suggested, that the most rational
    position is one of agnosticism?

    Best Regards

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