[Vjack posted an entry today titled, Irrational Atheists, in which he wrestles with accepting the fact that atheists can be - and many times are - just as irrational as anyone else. The following is my response.]
"Atheist" is a label which implies only one thing denotatively, which is an absence of belief in god(s). The label doesn't imply rationality, or an appreciation of science, or a love of knowledge. Culturally and connotatively, the label "atheist" implies association or affiliation with a fellowship of like-minded individuals who, while not agreeing on everything, have the common denominator of possessing a desire for rationality, an appreciation of science and a love of knowledge.
Vjack wrote:
As atheists, many of us aspire to be more rational. And yet, we are still human. We are still prone to the same biases, prejudices, and cognitive errors known by cognitive scientists to be part of how our human brains function. While some atheists may be more rational than our religious counterparts on the question of gods, not all atheists arrived at or maintain their atheism through rational means. And once one sets aside the question of gods and examines other topics, one finds little evidence that atheists are any more rational than religious believers.
This is true, but I think a point should be made here, and to make this point I need to refer to the philosopher Socrates, whom - as the story goes - was declared by the Oracle of Delphi to be the "wisest man in Athens." Socrates didn't understand why the Oracle would say this, for Socrates knew that he didn't really know anything.
Eventually, Socrates accepted the Oracle's declaration, concluding that he was indeed the wisest man in Athens, for he was the only one who realized and accepted the fact that he knew nothing. In Plato's Dialogues, Socrates is the protagonist, conversing with self-proclaimed "experts" who, by the end of their dialogues with Socrates, were shown to be just as ignorant as anyone else vis-à-vis their subject of expertise. This angered many a discredited expert, which led to animosity against Socrates, which concordantly led to his execution via hemlock.
The story of Socrates exemplifies an arguably obvious truth: everyone's agnostic. We don't know whether there's a god or not. A lot of people don't know yet that they don't know, whereas only a few of us know that we don't know (Read that sentence twice. I wrote it like that intentionally). This fact is what separates most card-carrying atheists from the theists. We, like Socrates, find wisdom in the realization that we aren't wise. The first step towards knowledge is recognizing one's ignorance. The second step is to discard unsubstantiated beliefs to begin the pursuit of knowledge, truth and wisdom. That, to me, is as good a connotative definition of "atheism" as I can think of.
Vjack wrote:
Every one of us makes mistakes. We make stupid, irrational decisions that end badly. We don't always learn from our experience. We sometimes get stuck and repeat destructive patterns without realizing what we are doing. But we do this because we are human. Expecting atheists to consistently rise above the inherent limitations of our human brains is not only irrational; it sets us up for one hell of a frustrating life where nobody (including ourselves) will ever meet the standards we set.
I agree. "Atheist" isn't equivalent to "perfect" by any means, and we risk falling into the trap of hubris when atheists perceive themselves as intellectually superior to everyone else. Atheists already have a reputation for being arrogant know-it-alls. Where do you think that stereotype came from? Yes, from arrogant know-it-all atheists.
We wrestle with bias, personal preferences and desires which often get in the way of seeking truth and thinking critically. But, again, let us consider Socrates, and follow his example. Let us overcome our bias and think critically and objectively by first recognizing our bias so that we may overcome it.
If our atheism isn't grounded in both reason and humility, then our noble cause is lost.
Dead-Logic.com
