According to philosopher, Dr. Michael Martin, atheism as a belief that God does not exist is the popular meaning. He mentions this in his book, The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, pg. 1:
Another disagreement I have with Dr. Martin's view is that he references the Greek, but the problem is that the term "atheos" was not even a position regarding God's existence. According to the same Wiki source referenced earlier: "It was first used as a term of censure roughly meaning "ungodly" or "impious". So if we want to go back to the Greek, why not also use the same intended meaning as back then?
Contrary to Dr. Martin's view, it seems then that the term "atheist", as a position on God's existence (as first used in the 16th century), referred to someone who denied God's existence. Sure, the Greek meaning is different but it does not relate to "belief" nor "God's existence". Being "without God" or "Godless", esp. as used by believers back then to shun someone, could just mean not following God or living a godless life. That does not mean that you deny God's existence or have a "belief" involving such.
With all of that said, I would still accept that "weak atheism" can become an accepted meaning through common usage just like any other commonly used word. But we should at least be honest or get the history behind the terms right, and not falsely claim or make it appear as if "lack of belief" was its original meaning.
For Discussion
1. Is disbelief in God's existence the popular meaning or the original meaning of "atheist"?
2. Do you agree or disagree with the above details and conclusions? Are any of the sources wrong?
Your thoughts, please!
The problem I have with Dr. Martin's view is that the term "atheist" was first used in 1566 according to the source below, and it was defined then as someone who denies the existence of God. Dr. Martin makes it seem as if the denial of God's existence was a modern invention when it was not.If you look up "atheism" in a dictionary, you will find it defined as the belief that there is no God. Certainly, many people understand "atheism" in this way. Yet this is not what the terms means if one considers it from the point of view of its Greek roots. In Greek "a" means "without" or "not," and "theos" means "god". From this standpoint, an atheist is someone without a belief in God; he or she need not be someone who believes that God does not exist. Still, there is a popular dictionary meaning of "atheism" according to which an atheist is not simple one who holds no belief in the existence of a God or gods but is one who believes that there is no God or gods.
Source: Wiki
Another disagreement I have with Dr. Martin's view is that he references the Greek, but the problem is that the term "atheos" was not even a position regarding God's existence. According to the same Wiki source referenced earlier: "It was first used as a term of censure roughly meaning "ungodly" or "impious". So if we want to go back to the Greek, why not also use the same intended meaning as back then?
Contrary to Dr. Martin's view, it seems then that the term "atheist", as a position on God's existence (as first used in the 16th century), referred to someone who denied God's existence. Sure, the Greek meaning is different but it does not relate to "belief" nor "God's existence". Being "without God" or "Godless", esp. as used by believers back then to shun someone, could just mean not following God or living a godless life. That does not mean that you deny God's existence or have a "belief" involving such.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/atheismFinally, and most important, not all denials of God are denials of his existence. Believers sometimes deny God while not being at all in a state of doubt that God exists. They either willfully reject what they take to be his authority by not acting in accordance with what they take to be his will, or else they simply live their lives as if God did not exist. In this important way they deny him. Such deniers are not atheists (unless we wish, misleadingly, to call them “practical atheists”). They are not even agnostics. They do not question that God exists; they deny him in other ways. An atheist denies the existence of God.
With all of that said, I would still accept that "weak atheism" can become an accepted meaning through common usage just like any other commonly used word. But we should at least be honest or get the history behind the terms right, and not falsely claim or make it appear as if "lack of belief" was its original meaning.
For Discussion
1. Is disbelief in God's existence the popular meaning or the original meaning of "atheist"?
2. Do you agree or disagree with the above details and conclusions? Are any of the sources wrong?
Your thoughts, please!
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