Does science reject atheism?
A recent article in Salt Lake Tribune talks about a scientist (Glesier) arguing atheism is unscientific. Is atheism unscientific or is he ignoring burden of proof?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Science should not reject or asset atheism. The question falls into the realm of religion and has little to do with science. Science is a totally different paradigm and the two are mutually exclusive in my opinion. Just because I do not believe any God or higher being exists now or has ever existe. As a scientist I find no connection with my lack of belief and my science. I have no truck with religion of any sorts and do not figure my beliefs have anything to do with religion.
t1nick
Level 8
Mar 19, 2019
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he sounds like either an idiot or a propagandist. is he a mormon? at any rate, no, science does not negate atheism. science doesn't actually deal with atheism, which is either a belief in the absence of a deity or a lack of belief in the presence of a deity. science doesn't study that.
g
genessa
Level 8
Mar 19, 2019
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It’s hard to say without reading the article.
If they mean positively asserting there is no god, then they may have a bit of a case. If they mean simply not believing, then they have less of a case.
indirect76
Level 7
Mar 19, 2019
1
I'd have to read the article. Can you post it?
Generally speaking, science does not validate any belief, or lack thereof. It's just science. I've certainly seen no evidence that it "rejects" a lack of belief.
Xuande
Level 7
Mar 19, 2019
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I posted something below that appears to be the article in question...or at least about the scientist in question.
@mojo5501 Thank you for that. It seems like he just doesn't understand atheism lol. He said he's agnostic because "atheism is a belief in non-belief. So you categorically deny something you have no evidence against."
Except that's not what atheism is. He is just confusing definitions. I've bitched about this on here before. He's just an agnostic atheist. I don't deny the possibility of the existence of a god either, and I'm an atheist. An agnostic atheist. He is referring to gnostic atheists.
Atheism doesn't require science, but it helps 
Observation of reality is how I arrived here 
GothRik
Level 7
Mar 19, 2019
1
Reason and being rational. I see religion and science on different ends of a spectrum, personally. I cannot see how a rational person can believe in supernatural deities....and it puzzles me how scientists can also be religious people. It has never been explained to me in a way that makes sense. The scientist in question is agnostic because he doesn't want to appear to 'know' anything with certainly...being a physicist and working with so much theoretical data, I suppose. He refers to atheists as 'extremely arrogant' and not having 'humility' about the possibility of god. I just think he's hedging his bets and trying to 'play nice' for his reputation's sake, personally.
Is this the article? It sounds harmless enough. The physicist
in question is an agnostic...just said that scientists shouldn't dismiss the 'social identity' aspects of religion....not that 'science rejects atheism'...or, at least, I didn't understand it that way after reading this article. [phys.org]
mojo5501
Level 7
Mar 19, 2019
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Atheism is secular. Personally, I arrived at my atheism by way of Darwin's evolutionary biology approach and by way of natural history and anthropology. The tree of life image...the origin of the human species....the theory of natural selection...the studies of primates as social animals....our genetic similarity to apes. So, to understand human development and our 'place' in the world, it takes a scientific approach that doesn't include supernatural explanations. I reached my atheism by way of natural science (biology, for ex) and social sciences...it isn't the only way to get there, but it can light the path. I am unfamiliar with the article you mentioned, so I will be seeking it out for curiosity's sake.
mojo5501
Level 7
Mar 19, 2019
1
Religious indoctrination is nearly impossible to overcome. Hence the many who study science and cannot stop attempting to fit the doctrines into reality.
Atheism is only a statement about not believing in invisible all powerful imaginary critters. That is all.
JacarC
Level 8
Mar 19, 2019
1
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