Category talk:Atheist philosophers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents |
[edit] Nietzsche?
Are the editors of this sure it is appropriate to have Nietzsche here, as many regard him NOT to be an atheist?
[edit] Betrand Russell?
Nor should Bertrand Russell be included: he is a self-confessed agnostic. (Which, of course, is clearly distinguishable from atheism as an agnostic simply doesn't know; and a atheist does know, but denies.)
Russell distinguished between atheism and agnosticism on the basis of his audience. He was, for all intents and purposes, an atheist. He said that if he were talking to the public, then he would describe himself as an atheist, but if he had been speaking to colleagues, he would have called himself an agnostic. I think based on his own writings (such as his famous quote "I am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as I am that they are untrue.") He simply avoided saying that he was an atheist because he thought that such a term implied that he could prove there was no god. The definition of an atheist, as I understand it, is a person who does not believe in a god or gods--Russell fits quite well into this category.
"The definition of an atheist, as I understand it, is a person who does not believe in a god or gods--Russell fits quite well into this category." I think that athiests make a full blown assertion e.g. "there is no bearded man in the sky" where as agnostics might say, "I have no evidence to believe there is a bearded man in the sky." Nevertheless I think that Russell is importantly associated with the secularist movement and should be included. Not sure about Hume though.
[edit] Karl Popper?
I have yet to find a reference to Karl Popper identifying himself as an atheist. If such a reference exists, I would like to see it.
-
- Indeed, in 'The Self and Its Brain: an argument for interactionism', by Popper and John C. Eccles (Routledge, 1983), the introduction states: "One of us (Eccles) is a believer in God and the supernatural, while the other (Popper) may be described as agnostic." Now, although this is evidence of Popper self-identifying as 'agnostic', it doesn't help us in determining what his actual position was. It may, objectively, have been negative/weak atheist. --Dannyno 14:49, 25 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] No atheist philosophers from Latin America?
Aren't there any philosophers from Latin Amrica that are atheist? At least, I haven't found any on that list.
[edit] Sam Harris ?=
[edit] Subcategory/Schopenhauer?
What purpose does the Schopenhauer Subcategory serve? Not only does it seem random and out of place, but I'm pretty sure Schopenhauer wasn't an atheist. Ejectgoose 02:58, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
