Sunday 28 March 2010
A Question.
I’ve read several profiles in which bloggers list ‘atheism’ among their interests. This intrigues me. Atheism is simply a matter of choosing to believe that there is nothing beyond the material world. It’s a simple negative, and I wonder how that can be construed as an ‘interest.’ It’s a bit like saying ‘Interests: there’s nothing I want to watch on the TV tonight.’ It makes sense if the person not only chooses to disbelieve, but actually defines atheism as a constructive tradition in which there are dogma, gurus and so on. In that case, it’s merely a quasi-religion pandering to the unnecessary need for certainty. Alternatively, it could be that the writer is interested in the phenomenon of atheism as a socio-psychological construct. So which is it? Or is there something I haven’t thought about? I’m curious.
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I read a few blogs/websites of atheists (well-known scientist and other bloggers). I enjoy reading thier points of views in the Universe, life and thier activities like funny gathering against extreme catholic church.(one absolutely against gay) I think it can be considered one of my inteterest. (but not serious compared to other interests)
Hello Mei-Shan. I think a lot depends on how you define atheism. You can reject organised religion and its often absurd dogma, you can reject the Judaic notion of a single, transcendent God, and you can embrace the discoveries of modern science – all without becoming atheist. My instinct and the pronouncements of people I respect lead me to suspect that this reality is a form of illusion, and that true reality lies beyond it in some way. I don’t know what it is, and I’m perfectly happy with that. I’ve come to the view that the beginning of wisdom is to give up the need for certainty. And that’s what bothers me about certain scientists and those who like to proclaim ‘I am an atheist’ from the rooftops. It’s just another attempt to take refuge in an unsustainable, and unnecessary, notion of certainty.
i reckon you might be over-analyzing what people list as “interests” on their blog. i don’t necessarily think that the typical blogger who lists atheism as an interest is thinking, “i will list atheism because it is a subject that fascinates me,” they’re probably operating more along the lines of, “i’ll type the word ‘atheism’ in this box because i’m an atheist and it describes me; this way other people will know that i’m atheist.” maybe it would be more logical to put that sort of information in the “about me” box, but then they’d have to form it into a complete sentence.
aside from that, i totally agree with what you said about certainty. i often refer to myself as atheist but it might be more correct to say agnostic, because i don’t think that sort of information is knowable...however the term “agnostic” carries other connotations, like “i’m questioning my religion” or “i believe in a higher power but i don’t believe in any particular religion.” i personally don’t believe in anything religious or spiritual, so rather than regarding atheism as belief that nothing exists beyond empirical reality (or even as a religion of non-religion) i see it as a lack of belief, which implies nothing about certainty. just an issue of semantics, owing to the obligation to reduce our beliefs or lack of beliefs into simple labels for the purposes of quick communication, which is exactly the function of the “interests” box on blog profiles.
Not sure about over-analysing, Em, but I might be persuade to accept being pedantic. I just think there's a difference beween being interested in atheism as a belief system (as in being an Existentialist) and simply being an atheist oneself. One's an interest, the other isn't. Like I said, I'm boring.
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