Define Atheist

Dictionary.com defines an atheist as "One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods". Obviously this definition is better than some dictionaries which define an atheist as a "heathen" or an "infidel". However it is still annoying. It implies that a god exists and atheists simply deny it. To an atheist this is like assuming the leprechauns exist and everyone who doesn't agree is in denial of that fact. Since no evidence has ever been produced for the existence of any god this seems a little presumptuous.

The question then arises, what IS an atheist?

Just as you will get a different answer if you ask different Christians, "What is a Christian?", you will get different definitions if you ask different atheists, "What is an atheist?". Some even define "denominations" of atheists.* Therefore, the definition given here is solely my own. I will explain in detail my reasons for defining atheism as I do.

Some atheists will say that an atheist is someone who denies the existence of god. These have been called dogmatic atheists. These have also been referred to as "strong" atheists or "positive" atheists. This definition presupposes the existence of a god and then defines an atheist as one who denies this "fact".

Others say that an atheist is someone who has no belief in god. These have been called philosophical atheists. They have also been called "weak" atheists or "negative" atheists.

It is my position that the latter is the most accurate definition for two reasons:

1) The latter definition is in (accordance) with the etymology of the word.

2) The latter best describes what the majority of atheists mean when they label themselves an "atheist".

Naturally, being an atheist I am prepared to back up my point of view. Let us start with some straightforward dictionary definitions. I will be using dictionary.com for my defintions. Because this is an internet medium in which we are working, I will try to maintain internet available resources whenever possible.

1) The latter definition is in (accordance) with the etymology of the word.

dictionary.com gives three definitions for atheist:

a·the·ist (th-st)
n.
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.
atheist \A"the*ist\, n. [Gr. ? without god; 'a priv. + ? god: cf. F. ath['e]iste.] 1. One who disbelieves or denies the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being.
2. A godless person. [Obs.]
Syn: Infidel; unbeliever.
Note: See Infidel.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. >
atheist adj : related to or characterized by or given to atheism; "atheist leanings" [syn: atheistic, atheistical] n : someone who denies the existence of god
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

Now let's look at the definition for theist for comparison. The definition of "theist" is a bit clearer:

dictionary.com offers 3 defintions for this as well:

the·ism (thzm)
n.
Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world.
theist \The"ist\, n. [Cf. F. th['e]iste. See Theism.] One who believes in the existence of a God; especially, one who believes in a personal God; -- opposed to atheist.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
theist adj : of or relating to theism [syn: theistical, theistic] n : one who believes in the existence of a god or gods
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

It is interesting to note that the definition for theism is quite clear: one who believes in a god. Why then is the definition for atheism so dissonant? The prefix "a" means "without", as in "amoral", "atypical" and "asymmetrical". Now it would stand to reason that if a theist is someone who believes in a god then an atheist is simply someone without a belief in a god, right? But somehow atheists are defined as: someone who denies the existence of God. (Notice too that it is often worded "God" with a captial G, instead of "a god or gods". This presumes the existence of the writer's "God") "Atheist" is also defined in dictionaries as "infidel" (An unbeliever with respect to a particular religion, especially Christianity or Islam), pagan (One who is not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, especially a worshiper of a polytheistic religion), or a heathen (one who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam) in some dictionaries. The latter three are patently wrong. None of these originate with the word itself. It seems fairly obvious that the major reason atheists are so defined is because theists are doing the defining. In our experience most theists perceive that the dogmatic definition of atheism is what constitutes an atheist. Clearly the etymology of the word atheist shows it to only mean someone without a belief in god.

A final point for the "without" a belief in gods definition of atheism:

Most people acknowledge that the prefix "a" is defined as meaning "without". As we have seen "theism" is defined as meaning "a belief in god or gods". Therefore, a-theism means "without a belief in god or gods". However, many would argue that the prefix "a" means "no", as in "no god". That is not entirely correct. If the prefix "a" is taken to mean "no", then a-theism is defined as "no belief in god or gods". It still lacks of denial of the existence of god. The definition of atheism as a denial of the existence of god clearly presupposes that a god exists. This has not been proven to my knowledge. (If you have evidence of the existence of a god or gods I suggest that you run to the nearest newspaper or scientific journal and publish it immediately. The world awaits the benefit of your genius.)

Why object to the definition of atheism as the "denial of the existence of God"? Because it clearly presupposes the existence of a god, and that simply has not been proven.

2) The latter best describes what the majority of atheists mean when they label themselves an "atheist".

Having seen how theists define atheists, we now turn to the second definition of atheism: what atheists mean when they describe themselves as being an "atheist". Let us look at what many prominent atheists have said on the matter (Smith, 1990).

Atheism is without God. It does not assert no God. The atheist does not say that there is no God, but he says 'I know not what you mean by God. I am without the idea of God. The word God to me is a sound conveying no clear or distinct affirmation. I do not deny God, because I cannot deny that of which I have no conception, and the conception of which by its affirmer is so imperfect that he is unable to define it for me.
-- Charles Bradlaugh: One of the England's leading atheists and freethinkers in the 19th century, in his book The Freethinker's Text Book
Atheism - The absence of theistic belief.
-- Joseph McCabe, A Rationalist Encyclopedia (London, 1950)
If one believes in a god, then one is a Theist. If one does not believe in a god, then one is an A-theist -- he is without that belief. The distinction between atheism and theism is entirely, exclusively, that of whether one has or has not a belief in God.
-- Chapman Cohen, Primitive Survivals in Modern Thought (London, 1935)
It turns out that the word atheism means much less than I had thought. It is merely the lack of theism
-- Dan Barker (Lowder, 1997)
Basic atheism is not a belief. It is the lack of belief. There is a difference between believing there is no god and not believing there is a god -- both are atheistic, though popular usage has ignored the latter
-- Dan Barker, "Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist"
All children are atheists -- they have no idea of God"
-- Baron d'Holbach, Good Sense, 1772.
"no position is more continuously misrepresented" (than atheism) "Atheism is without God. It does not assert no God."
-- Charles Bradlaugh, The Freethinker's Text-Book
If you look up 'atheism' in the dictionary, you will probably find it defined as the belief that there is no God. Certainly many people understand atheism in this way. Yet many atheists do not, and this is not what the term 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 would simply be someone without a belief in God, not necessarily someone who believes that God does not exist. According to its Greek roots, then, atheism is a negative view, characterized by the absence of belief in God. (Lowder, 1997)
-- Michael Martin: The author of one of the most extensive and detailed books on the philosophy of atheism, Atheism: A Philosophical Introduction

Using two simple criteria, the etymology of the word and what most atheists mean when they say they are an "atheist", it seems quite clear that an atheist is simply someone without a belief in gods. Therefore this is what I mean when I use the terms "atheist" or "atheism" on this site.

 

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