[ExI] atheism

[Stefano Vaj]

2010/1/7 Kevin Freels <reasonerkevin at yahoo.com>:
> From: Stefano Vaj <stefano.vaj at gmail.com>
> To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
> Sent: Wed, January 6, 2010 2:39:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [ExI] atheism
>> What I mean there is that while it is perfectly normal in everyday
>> life to believe things without  any material evidence thereof (the
>> existence of cats and sleep does not tell me anything about the
>> current state of my cat any more than the existence of number 27 on
>> the roulette does not provide any ground for my belief that this is
>> the number which is going to win, and therefore on which I should bet,
>> at the next throw of the ball), what is abnormal is to claim that such
>> assumptions are a philosophical necessity or of ethical relevance.
>
> It is quite different to say "I am convinced there is no God" than it is to
> say "I am not convinced there is a God"
> There is no evidence disproving the existence of God so to believe there is
> no god is indeed a faith in itself.

Why, not any more than acquitting a man from a murder charge because
there is no evidence that he is implicated is equal to convicting
him... :-)

We cannot avoid to form beliefs on things thare are not proved (e.g.,
whether tomorrow will rain or not) but this has nothing to with
"faith" in a monotheistic sense.

-- 
Stefano Vaj