What kind of Atheist are you?
I’m just back from a month long holiday in Europe, and although it was interesting and showed many aspects of Scotland and France I had forgotten, it’s main benefit to me was long uninterrupted spells of book reading. I took some books I have always wanted to read on my trip, and the one which had the most impact on me was Richard Dawkins “The God Delusion”.
I was a fan of Dawkins work “The Selfish Gene”, as I initially trained as a Biologist, and he explained the non-random aspects of natural selection to even the most non-scientific reader in a clear and concise manner, so I was really looking forward to reading his other important work.
I agreed with most of the arguments in this book, although I thought his voice a little strident and shrill compared to his earlier works, and his discussion on the provable non-existence of God was a little weak.
One of the excellent aspects of the early chapters was the spectrum of belief probabilities. I was always a little unsure of my commitment to the idea of atheism because of a slight uncertainty in an absolute belief, but when I found that Dawkins himself rated a 6 on the scale, I felt a little encouraged.
Have a look at the list and decide which number on the scale suits you.
You might be surprised.
- Strong theist. 100 per cent probability of God. In the words of C.G. Jung, ‘I do not believe, I know.’
- Very high probability but short of 100 per cent. De facto theist. ‘I cannot know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life on the assumption that he is there.’
- Higher than 50 per cent but not very high. Technically agnostic but leaning towards theism. ‘I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.’
- Exactly 50 per cent. Completely impartial agnostic. ‘God’s existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.’
- Lower than 50 per cent but not very low. Technically agnostic but leaning towards atheism. ‘I do not know whether God exists but I’m inclined to be skeptical.’
- Very low probability, but short of zero. De facto atheist. ‘I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there.’
- Strong atheist. ‘I know there is no God, with the same conviction as Jung “knows” there is one.’
I appreciated reading this and am glad I found your place.
I read the book about 3 years ago, and I am reading it a second time. I am definitely a 6.999999999~ Anybody who says they are absolutely sure, does not live in the world of reality!
Anyone who reads my posts has already pegged me at 6.
And I am not talking about the Christian “God” here (for me that is a 7) but for the idea of a “higher spiritual/transcendent” reality that exists apart from ours, and for the possible existence of a “soul” as it were.
Dawkins is a bit militant in his tone. Well- a lot militant. This is a turn off for me, but I agree with his ideas.
Welcome back. I hope your travels were everything you expected and more. As far as the Dawkins book is concerned, i found his arguments for pure atheism unconvincing. As we all knowZ trying to prove a negative is difficult. I found the book much more of a confirmation of an agnostic viewpoint. I`m probably somewhere between a 5 and a 6, but reading his book didn`t really move the needle for me.
Hi Robert, welcome back and I look forward to posts on your travels. I’m a
” 1″.
Where do you sit on the scale?
Hi Holte,
I think I’m a 6. Pretty sure the Big Guy doesn’t exist, but not absolutely.
It’s nice to be back.