16236748
Description
Flashcards by Sophie Greenslade, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Sophie Greenslade
almost 6 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Negative (weak) atheism | the atheist does not make the positive claim that God does not exist |
| positive (strong) atheism | believes that both the atheist and the theist have to give reasons to defend their belief |
| New atheism | also known as antitheism, the belief that religion is a threat to the survival of the human race |
| what book did Flew write? | the presumption of atheism (1972) |
| quote from Flew | "an atheist becomes not someone who positively asserts the non-existence of God but someone who is simply not a theist. |
| strong agnosticism | the assertion that it is impossible to know whether or not God exists |
| weak agnosticism | the belief that the existence of God is currently unknown but is not necessarily unknowable |
| who were the 'four horsemen' and the voice of New Atheism? | Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens |
| what does Alister McGrath say about new atheism? | He says it defines itself by what it is against and not what it is for |
| what does Dawkins say in 'the god delusion'? | religious people are non-thinking; they don't require evidence for their beliefs, they believe unquestionably. adults force it upon children. compares it to belief in the tooth-fairy and Santa. this analogy contends that both represent belief in non-existent entities. |
| Criticisms - infantile world-view | New atheism claims the way religion sees religion is deficient and pathetic in comparison to how the world actually is. God is not required to explain the world because of science. |
| criticisms - impedes scientific progress | New atheism affirms a materialistic outlook. Science is evidence based, whilst religion is superstitious. Religion teaches us not to change our minds and saps intellect. Scientific findings get corrected but Holy books do not. |
| Religious responses to the challenge of new atheism | New atheism attacks degenerate forms of religion, not the mainstream reality yet doesn't put an approach of its own forward. it has a negative stance, Kurtz called this 'atheist fundamentalism' |
| Religious arguments against claims that there is an incompatibility between religion and science | Polkinghorne says levels of explanation are needed to provide a comprehensive whole. eg the Big Bang. McGrath says that there are reasons to believe all explanations are true, and that Dawkins mixes 'total absence of evidence' and the 'absence of totally supporting evidence' |
| Increase in fundamental religious activity relating to morality and community | religious beliefs involve a world-view so they have to be public matters to an extent. there's been an upsurge in Christian and Islamic fundamentalism, as they move away from this, society looks to change through influences of law and social policy. |
| What is fundamentalism? | unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs |
| religious apologists in the media | New Atheism has defined areas Christian apologists have had to focus on, eg an appeal to the natural sciences in support of faith. McGrath says that argument doesn't create conviction but the lack of it destroys belief. (if it's not defended its abandoned) |
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