" totally fail to acknowledge the fact that human beings, themselves included, still have far more to learn than they have thus far achieved."
I disagree with this statement. Atheists DO acknowledge that there is unimaginable amounts of things that humans do not understand.
I would argue that it is religious people who claim to know everything. They 'know there is a god', and they consider this to be the truth, which is known, end of story. An atheist should never rule out the possibility of there being a god entirely, but does not believe that it should be an assumed (and pretty much assumed without a shred of evidence) fact on which we base our lives.
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Kung_Fu_Russ ran out of amusing signatures on, Wed 4 Mar 2009, 11:27,
Reply)
Except they don't know it.
Knowledge is justified, true belief. They have the belief, but the justification is lacking and the truth is unlikely...
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 4 Mar 2009, 11:29,
Reply)
ok, i like what you've said
but would you acknowledge that in the past Science, Logic and Reason have all made massive errors as well?
I would put it that where on past history science has been demonstrated to be less than 100% truth, hailing it as a replacement for God is a little premature.
(, Wed 4 Mar 2009, 11:49, Reply)
Of course there've been mistakes.
However, that's part and parcel of science. What survives, though, is the intellectual parsimony, and that's worth keeping.
There is no evidence at all that points to the existence of a deity. There is no evidence at all for some non-religious beliefs. However, that doesn't mean that science and religion are on a par.
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 4 Mar 2009, 11:59,
Reply)
There's certainly no empirical evidence, I'll grant you
but plenty of people, myself included, claim experiential evidence. And that I'd say is the nub of the whole issue. And if you can resolve that conflict then I'd pin the medal on you myself.
(, Wed 4 Mar 2009, 12:16, Reply)
I think perhaps were arguing the same side here, let me clear it up a bit
Fundamentalists are cunts because they are arrogantly believing that their knowledge is the only knowledge and everyone else is wrong.
I believe the same of atheists, and atheists who belittle those who believe in God are double cunts.
In my book, the only category of "Not-Cunts" are those who are always prepared to accept that what they believe may not be 100% correct, and acknowledge the validity of other beliefs.
Personally I believe in God: both as an explanation of fortuitous events in my life that I otherwise am unable to explain, and because I a happier existing with the belief in God than not. Alas my own modest little set of beliefs is under attach from cunts from both directions; Both of whom seems to find my believing something different to them is offensive to them personally and also some kind of act of defiance against either their superiority of faith or intellect.
Fundamentalist Christians and Fundamentalist Atheists all seem to have an agenda of thought control of their neighbours.
(, Wed 4 Mar 2009, 11:44, Reply)