Can atheists believe in stuff for which there is no evidence?

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The other day, I saw an atheist proclaim on TV that he believes in the existence of extraterrestrial life. I didn't quite understand. Don't atheists ONLY believe in stuff when evidence merits belief in it? While extraterrestrial life may indeed well exist, there is (as of yet) no evidence for it. Of course, this applies to many other things too. So, can atheists believe in stuff for which there is no evidence?

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Based on 46 votes (40 yes)
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Comments ( 79 )
  • anti-hero
    11 years ago | pl

    Atheist: a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings aka no God or gods.

    Has nothing to do with belief in other bullshit like aliens.

    Theist: one who believes in the existence of a God or gods.

    Think of it like this... Asexual, means no interest sexual activity. Atheist, means no belief in God or gods.

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    • shade_ilmaendu
      11 years ago

      You really think aliens are bullshit though? I think with the sheer scale of the universe it's almost impossible in probability that we're the only life form out there. In fact I'd say it's so improbable it would be strange not to think there are aliens out there.

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      • disthing
        11 years ago

        It doesn't make sense to discount the possibility, but it also doesn't make sense to assert certainty. It's perfectly plausible that another planet somewhere in the ocean of space is inhabited by other lifeforms. But it's an unanswered question.

        Unfortunately the reasonable hypothesis is tainted by all those crazy conspiracy theorists who think there are little green and grey men flying their saucers around and being dissected by The FBI.

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        • anti-hero
          11 years ago

          That is why I don't believe in them, they can't be proven.

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      • anti-hero
        11 years ago

        I don't personally believe in them. I don't judge others for believing in anything though. Might be life out there, but not in the ways most people think of 'aliens'.

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    • BLAh81
      11 years ago

      True, atheism has nothing to do with with belief in other stuff, like extraterrestrial life, for example.

      However, atheists very often cite the lack of EVIDENCE for their atheism. I think it's strange why they then DO believe in other stuff for which there ALSO isn't any evidence, since evidence seems to be so important to them. Can you explain this?

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      • anti-hero
        11 years ago

        I didn't know I was on trial here. I don't believe in aliens. I don't know why they do.

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        • BLAh81
          11 years ago

          By no means are you on trial. I'm merely asking a question. I do think you focus too much on the whole alien-thing. That was only an example. What it's really about is atheists believing in certain stuff (aliens or otherwise) WITHOUT evidence, since the lack of evidence is the VERY reason they often cite for their disbelief, when it comes to a God/Gods. I merely wonder why.

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          • anti-hero
            11 years ago

            We may never know.

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    • suckonthis9
      11 years ago

      Please do not use -ists or -isms.

      So-called deities are not "supreme". This is an archaic concept.

      Please denote the so-called deity for which you are referring to, as some of these life forms might exist, or did exist in the past.

      You will never understand them, should you stubbornly continue this charade.

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      • disthing
        11 years ago | pl

        You should give up your campaign against ists and isms.

        ism:a suffix that forms abstract nouns of action, state, condition, doctrine

        ist: a suffix that forms nouns denoting one who owns or manages something, one who proscribes to a particular theological doctrine or religious denomination, a person with a particular creative or academic role, one who has a certain political tendency, a person who holds bigoted, partial views.

        Two very useful suffixes in the English language.

        In your ideal world, we'd lose (or have to reinvent) these ism words:

        mannerism
        magnetism
        criticism
        autism
        idealism
        opportunism
        journalism
        alcoholism
        altruism
        antagonism
        barbarism
        cannibalism
        capitalism
        chauvinism
        communism
        dwarfism
        dualism
        terrorism
        exorcism
        hedonism
        hooliganism
        imperialism
        impressionism
        masochism
        sadism
        metabolism
        metamorphism
        mechanism
        narcissism
        schism

        And here are some ist words we'd lose (or have to reinvent):

        assist
        acupuncturist
        adventurist
        aerodynamicist
        alarmist
        anatomist
        archaeologist
        aromatherapist
        biochemist
        botanist
        consist
        cyclist
        dentist
        desist
        ecologist
        exhibitionist
        exorcist
        fist
        florist
        gist
        idealist
        lyricist
        masochist
        narcissist
        motorcyclist
        ophthalmologist
        pathologist
        percussionist
        perfectionist
        pharmacist
        pianist
        plagiarist
        rapist
        twist

        and my favourite.... moist

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        • suckonthis9
          11 years ago

          The only thing that -ist and -ism words are useful for, is creating division in society.
          Most of these, had only infiltrated the English language in relatively recent (modern) history. These are all inventions of politicians. It is a very old ploy; divide and conquer, or in this society, divide and control.

          Not all the words in your list are -ists or -isms.
          ONLY those which are SUFFIXES formed from the Greek (Helenic) istēs and ismos.
          When in doubt, look up the etymology and root word structure.

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          • disthing
            11 years ago

            Most of the words in my list feature the Greek istes and ismos, but you've entirely ignored those words.

            How are the terms artist, pianist, motorcyclist and botanist creating division in society?

            How are the terms autism, alcoholism, magnetism, metamorphism and dwarfism creating division in society?

            I mean you might as well say describing somebody wearing trousers as somebody wearing trousers is creating a division between that somebody wearing trousers and all those not wearing trousers. In which case, get rid of ALL adjectives and adverbs, ALL nouns and pronouns, ANY word used to distinguish one thing from another thing.

            I understand the point you're getting at, but to lump all words using those two Greek suffixes together onto some linguistic naughty step is to be far too broad and inaccurate. It's dumb, to put it bluntly. Be more accurate if you want to chastise people for a perceived faux pas and be taken seriously rather than laughed at.

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            • suckonthis9
              11 years ago

              I have been through this before.
              They do create divisions in society. They categorize people, places and thigs into different groups. These are usually quite general in nature, leading to stereotypes. Each one of us, then forms an opinion, on what that group is or does, most of us are incorrect. This often leads to arguments based in ignorance, primarily because humans are usually inately unable to admit that they are incorrect. They change the context of conversation. Instead of communicating about that respective thing, we are now speaking about a person, group or general thing. This leads to stagnation of thought and learning. From your most recent list, we are no longer speaking or learning about arts, pianos, motorcycles, botony, alchohol, magnets, metamorphosis or dwarfs. We are speaking about an opinionated concept of these things, or an opinion of the people who are involved with these things.

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          • Terence_the_viking
            11 years ago

            Oh save us the bumfluff bandit strikes again.

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      • anti-hero
        11 years ago

        I really think you might have OCD. You say the same shit to the same people and we never stop doing what we do. What is this compulsion of yours to have your way, when clearly nobody cares.

        P.S. Which charade would you be refering to? The only charade is the one I played with your fat momma last night.

        Signed,

        Your path to extinction

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        • suckonthis9
          11 years ago

          The charade of using 'catch words and phrases', instead of communicating in a direct, meaningful way.
          All you are doing, is perpetuating an endless, meaningless argument, in which neither you, I, or anyone else, has learned anything about what you believe in. It's a waste of time.

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          • anti-hero
            11 years ago

            Come on baby, let's watch it all burn.

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      • dirtybirdy
        11 years ago

        Here are some botfly larvae. Enjoy.

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  • dom180
    11 years ago

    Faith and atheism are not mutually exclusive. Logically speaking, the existence of extra-terrestrial life is extremely likely although we do (technically) have to have faith that we will discover evidence that confirms the logic. That's different from faith in something which hasn't got a logical foundation, which is what religions are.

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    • BLAh81
      11 years ago

      Thank you! This totally answers my question!

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    • suckonthis9
      11 years ago

      The message is: Have faith in yourself, and your own abilities. They will not save you, only you can save yourself. They are trying to help us, but some humans are selfish, stubborn and greedy, and refuse to listen to the advice provided.

      Please do not use -ists or -isms.

      Thank you.

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  • bananaface
    11 years ago

    Oops, I got it the wrong way round. I meant, yes, they can believe in other stuff without evidence.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    So, if I don't believe in Santa Clause, I'm not allowed to believe in the Easter Bunny too? :(

    **starts crying in the corner, away from all the non-believers**

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    • shuggy-chan
      11 years ago

      I believe in pedoclaws >=D

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    Atheist; A person who is so uninformed and/or scared of god and the world that they believe the opposite, no matter how ridiculous. Shown by the fact that most atheists know very little about science, they believe what they are told. They are sheeple.

    Theist: A person who is so uninformed and/or scared of science and the world that they believe the opposite, no matter how ridiculous. Shown by the fact that most theists know very little about their chosen god/religion. They are sheeple.

    Agnostic: Someone who can think without fear, and take comfort in not knowing the truth.

    The Agnostic Code;

    We cannot know with certainty if God or Christ exists. They COULD. Then again there COULD be a giant reptilian bird in charge of everything. Can we be CERTAIN there isn't? NO, so it's pointless to talk about it.

    Faith. Love. God. Who knows. This is the Agnostic Code.

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    • anti-hero
      11 years ago

      Do you love Dr. Pepper?

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        Yes, for it is neither root beer nor cola. Nobody is sure what flavor it is, and nobody can be sure.

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        • anti-hero
          11 years ago

          One of the only good, newer episodes.

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          • [Old Memory]
            11 years ago

            I liked quite a few of them. I don't think the show has lost that much.

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            • anti-hero
              11 years ago

              Eh, I think it has gone way downhill from where it started. Not as far down as The Simpsons, but nothing could go from being that good to that shitty.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      Maybe this maybe that. Maybe you're dreaming right now, there's no way that you can disprove it. This is logically entailed by the agnostic code. Agnosticism is absurd. You can't ever prove that the symbols which appear on your computer screen represent the actions of conscious beings, so why are you here?

      But are you referencing south park? Your dialectic sounds very similar to this one south park episode about agnosticism. Probably not, because the satire shows how absurd agnosticism is.

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        Faith. Love. God. Who knows. This is the Agnostic Code.

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    • q25t
      11 years ago

      I found your problem. Most atheists don't use the definition that you appear to be using.

      Atheist - one who disbelieves in the existence of deities.

      Agnostic - one who does not know if there are deities.

      The terms are not mutually exclusive. Most atheists are agnostic atheists, meaning they do not believe in any gods, yet they do not know there are none.

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        Most Atheists use science as their way of disproving Theist ideals when faced with them.

        Most Theists use their faith as a way of ignoring the science spouting Atheist.

        "do not believe in any gods, yet they do not know there are none."

        That is just a huge contradiction, an "agnostic atheist" is so stupid it's not worth mentioning except to stray from and muddy the very real point I'm making.

        People who consider the mixed terms to be valid are stupid, the same stupid people who follow them have even less of an idea about existence than the main sects. A sub race of slow thinkers and contraries.

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        • q25t
          11 years ago

          How are agnostic atheists a contradiction? The two terms answer two different questions.

          Do you know?
          Do you believe?

          Just because you can't understand the fact that adjectives can modify things does not make them useless.

          You say most atheists use science to disprove theist ideas? Well, I'd agree that most do use science as most atheists are also naturalists and skeptics and so reject things that have no proof.

          The only criticism you can lay towards atheists from your standpoint is that we define our terms differently.

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          • [Old Memory]
            11 years ago

            To know IS to believe, because you can't believe something without knowing it to be true first.

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  • [Old Memory]
    10 years ago

    just cause they don't believe in god(s) doesn't mean they can't believe in other things

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    • BLAh81
      10 years ago

      That's not the point. What it's really about is atheists believing in certain stuff WITHOUT evidence, since the lack of evidence is the VERY reason they often cite for their disbelief, when it comes to a God/Gods

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  • baronroderick
    11 years ago

    You simply misunderstood him. I think what he did mean, if he was a true atheist, is that he believes statistically and hypothetically there should be life in other planets. That's how science works, you start with a reasonable hypothesis and then try to find through scientific method if the reality offers evidence for that hypothesis.

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  • diaperwolf21
    11 years ago

    Until ET finnaly decides to choad his way earth, Aliens are only reffered to as undocumented citizens from another country.

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  • Hippie
    11 years ago

    I think aliens would be bugs if they exist. Like little mars beetles that eat rocks and shit. Or maybe fish.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    This a logical fallacy. Atheist (a-theist), means without a belief in a deity. Or, more strictly, believing that there *is not* a deity or deities. Having a position in this debate depends on how you define "deity", but, according to the common understanding of "deity", refusing to believe in a deity does not logically exclude faith. For example, you have faith that you are not dreaming right now. Do you believe that atheists are robots without capacity to have faith in anything? Faith is not confined to religion.

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  • q25t
    11 years ago

    Some Buddhists are technically atheists, and some of them believe some crazy shit. So...yes

    I think what you're looking for is skepticism. Many atheists were led to their conclusion via skepticism, but it's not a requirement at all.

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  • suckonthis9
    11 years ago

    Please do not use -ists or -isms.

    The term that you have used, is a misnomer. It describes a person who believes in something which does not exist. The reason why this term exists, is because there are some people, who believe in one or more entities, which do not exist in this Universe, or in any other Universe.
    This does not mean, that there is not a basis in reality, for what they believe in. There are many other extra-terrestrial life forms, some of which, are Very much more technologically advanced than we are. Some people have misinterpreted their actual nature, and perceive them as deities, which they are not.

    There is evidence for this.
    I have already provided the instructions for communicating with them.
    If humans weren't so selfish, stubborn, slow, stupid and greedy, they would follow the instructions:

    1) You will need Quantum Computing.

    2) A colour modulated duality in the Quark Realm.

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    • BLAh81
      11 years ago

      Idiot.

      What is your problem with -ists or -isms anyway?

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      • suckonthis9
        11 years ago

        These -ists and -isms, usually create or support divisions in society. They often also change the context of conversation, which usually leads to opinionated thought, and stagnation of thought and learning. They are a political device, which often leads to aggression and a disharmonious society.

        If we all make a concerted effort to stop using these (expressing ourselves in a different way), then we will all get along much better with one another, and we should eventually, be able to free ourselves from the elite political power structure.

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        • BLAh81
          11 years ago

          "These -ists and -isms, usually create or support divisions in society"

          Well, society simply IS divided. Looks like you can't handle reality. Besides, -isms and -ists are often simply quite accurate descriptions. Why don't you worry about stuff that actually matters?

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          • suckonthis9
            11 years ago

            Yes, society is divided.

            One of the main reasons for these divisions, is the relatively recent invention of -ists and -isms, and their subsequent infiltration into language.

            This does matter, to everyone, because our entire Civilisation is on the brink of collapse, and our very Survival, is at stake. In order to preserve our Technological Civilisation and our Survival, we must All endeavour to heal these divisions, such that we are able to work together, on a new path, towards a sustainable Future.

            What are you doing towards this?

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  • BLAh81
    11 years ago

    These -ists and -isms cause great divisions, huh? I don't think so, I think it's just the other way around. Because there already WERE divisions in society, -ists and -isms were created, so as to be able to better denominate these divisions. Is that really such a bad thing? Perhaps they are sometimes also used to polarize people away from one another, but that's just how it is I guess. Tough shit.

    "What are you doing towards this?"

    Absolutely nothing, because I don't for a moment believe -ists and -isms are an actual threat to our civilization or significantly contribute to that end.

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