What do we need a deity for? (Introduction)

by broken_cynic , Tuesday, August 02, 2011, 16:37 (4841 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: So how about a revised version: "Science has not explained X"? Perhaps we should add a parenthesis: (and may or may not be able to do so in the future).-Your revised version is indeed better. 'Yet' was an over-correction on my part. I think the parenthesis can remain unstated most of the time. =)-I would not go so far as to say that there is no link at all between atheism and science. Philosophically that may be true, but in the real world, among real, live atheists there is a strong correlation between the two. (Not implying causation. ;) ) -I will stand by my assertion that atheism assumes nothing. This is going to seem to be a detour and may well be worthy of a stand-alone post, but here's the short version: -There is a common mis-perception that agnosticism is the middle ground between theism and atheism. That's misleading. Theism is indeed the opposite of atheism, belief in god(s)/supernatural versus the lack thereof. However, agnosticism is not about belief at all. It is about knowledge. Anyone who claims to know that there is or is not a god is not agnostic, but anyone (most atheists included) who does not claim certain knowledge on the subject is agnostic. Technically I'm an agnostic atheist: I do not believe in any god(s), but I am not going to tell you I know for certain that nothing of the sort exists.-PZ Myers would be an example of a hard (Gnostic? =) ) atheist. In practice* I tend to side with him almost 100%, but philosophically I have to admit that I am at least a bit agnostic. I agree with him that the very idea of the supernatural is incoherent, but I will not claim certainty on the question of whether we will ever encounter anything that fulfills some of our ideas of godhood. -*I am only agnostic with regard to the general concept. I am entirely willing to state and defend the knowledge specific gods (say, Thor, FSM and Yahweh) do not exist. Their human origins are clear and their mythologies claim actions with specific, observable results that don't exist.