How does an atheist define the ego?

Pup said:
Same here. Most people I know, both atheists and theists, including myself as an atheist, usually use it in one of two ways, to refer to self-importance ("Rush Limbaugh has a big ego"1) or less commonly, some variation of the Freudian meaning to refer to the conscious part of one's self.
Click to expand...


1) citation needed.
 
Pup said:
I thought things that were common knowledge didn't need cited. :)
Click to expand...


I was making the little joke. The claim is so widely held as a universal truth that asking for evidence is what makes it funny.
 
Brainache said:
You're thinking of the super ego...
Click to expand...
I think he would prefer the Id, out of any of those mythological beings. The Superego was the goody-goody who wanted to delay gratification indefinitely. I picture the Id as Penn with goat's legs.
 
GrandMasterFox said:
As of such, there is no such thing as an "atheist terminology".
Click to expand...
Edited by Tricky: 
Edited for rule 12.

"How does an atheist think?"

"Like everyone else on the planet with the exception of believing in deities."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sledge said:
Two questions for you, Christian:
1) What do you think being an atheist entails?
2) I suspect you are trying to make a point and are hoping someone will provide an answer to your question that you can use as a starting place. Is this correct?
Click to expand...

I know what you are saying, that atheism is only and only a description of someone who does not believe in deities and nothing more. I do undestand that that is the definition, but one can infer more common traits from someone who is an atheist. No, I have not conducted statistically relevant surveys that can point to those common traits. I just suspect it. It is a guess.

No, I don't have a point. It was/is a question. And from the answers I'm getting, I can see this pattern of a not very important or relevant term to atheists.
 
Skeeve said:
Edited by Tricky: 
Edited for response to modded post.

"How does an atheist think?"

"Like everyone else on the planet with the exception of believing in deities."
Click to expand...

I'm bright enough to spot a false dichotomy.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
GrandMasterFox said:
This is where you fail. Atheists are not the "monopoly players". That's theists.
Atheists are the people who do not play monopoly.

They are a people whose common ground is that they do not belong to the theistic group. They have nothing else in common.

As of such, there is no such thing as an "atheist terminology".
Click to expand...

This is off topic, but I don't believe this is true (that this is the only thing they have in common). I do understand that a person can be very rigorous and point out that by definition, this is the only trait in common. But, I hope you can appreciate the idea that a group that has one thing in common by definition (e.g. atheists) can have other things in common because they are atheists.
 
If ego means the way we see ourselves then atheists are no different from anyone else. It depends on what we have accomplished in life as opposed to what we wanted to do. If you're content with what you've achieved then your ego is high if not its not so high.
 
Christian said:
This is off topic, but I don't believe this is true (that this is the only thing they have in common). I do understand that a person can be very rigorous and point out that by definition, this is the only trait in common. But, I hope you can appreciate the idea that a group that has one thing in common by definition (e.g. atheists) can have other things in common because they are atheists.
Click to expand...

So what else do all Atheists have in common?

All Atheists are human beings. (As far as we know)

Umm... anything else?
 
How would a theist define "personality"? Would it be different from the way an atheist defines it?

And is this question in any way different from the one in the OP?
 
Brainache said:
So what else do all Atheists have in common?

All Atheists are human beings. (As far as we know)

Umm... anything else?
Click to expand...

Well, I can respect the observation that a survey asking an atheist how he or she defines ego is not relevant or valid. I thought it was/is.
 
Last edited:
Tricky said:
How would a theist define "personality"? Would it be different from the way an atheist defines it?

And is this question in any way different from the one in the OP?
Click to expand...

I would consider a valid survey to ask an evangelical what he or she thinks the ego is. Interesing to compare it to the survey of atheists. I may very well conclude that there are no major differences between the two groups, or not.
 
Christian said:
This is off topic, but I don't believe this is true (that this is the only thing they have in common). I do understand that a person can be very rigorous and point out that by definition, this is the only trait in common. But, I hope you can appreciate the idea that a group that has one thing in common by definition (e.g. atheists) can have other things in common because they are atheists.
Click to expand...
You are probably correct in there may be a correlation between being an atheist and unbelief in other fictional beings, such as the Tooth Fairy, Mickey Mouse, Santa Claus and the teacup orbiting Mars. But I'll bet a lot of deists don't believe in those things, either, so the illusory correlation disappears when all the data are collected.
 
Jeff Corey said:
You are probably correct in there may be a correlation between being an atheist and unbelief in other fictional beings, such as the Tooth Fairy, Mickey Mouse, Santa Claus and the teacup orbiting Mars. But I'll bet a lot of deists don't believe in those things, either, so the illusory correlation disappears when all the data are collected.
Click to expand...

Have you considered that the reason why atheist don't believe in any fictional being, and that theists believe in some and not others, makes a significant difference between both group? That this would make the definition of ego by atheists interesting. Is has been interesting for me.
 
Christian said:
Have you considered that the reason why atheist don't believe in any fictional being, and that theists believe in some and not others, makes a significant difference between both group? That this would make the definition of ego by atheists interesting. Is has been interesting for me.
Click to expand...

IMO, The reason theists don't believe in santa, the easter bunny and spring heeled jack etc. is that they don't benefit from it. God offers salvation from death - the others don't. The reason atheists don't believe in any of these + god is that they don't benefit from it. They don't need that comfort blanket and can see them all as what they are - stories.
Apart from wanting to believe and be "saved" from the void, why is any religion more valid than the easter bunny?

The difference is the need to believe. The ego question is completely different,at least from a scientific point of view. Again though,it depends on what area of study we're boxing "ego" into; from a philosophical/theological point it's just another ethereal aspect of supernatural belief, from the scientific, it's a complex aspect of evolution.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom