How does an atheist decide what beliefs to have?

[A Christian Sceptic]

So,

Recently I saw a thread where an atheist basically made a post showing why his belief system (in this case Materialistic Humanism) was superior to theistic beliefs.

What I would like to know is:

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?
What's the process you use?
What evidence do you accept for your beliefs?

 

[I Ratant]

What would you be comfortable with?
If one needs a label, then seek out that label.
I expect many people become unhappy with the contradictions in religions, and are happy to find there's others with similar mind sets without getting too involved in finding how to behave according to an atheistic dogma/liturgy.
Getting all aggressive about non-belief like Dawkins, that's off-putting in the same way aggressive religions are.

 

[Southwind17]

So,

Recently I saw a thread where an atheist basically made a post showing why his belief system (in this case Materialistic Humanism) was superior to theistic beliefs.

What I would like to know is:

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?

Common sense/intelligent consideration/science; avoid religion, woo, etc. (by "common" I generally mean common to atheists).

What's the process you use?

Common sense/intelligent consideration/science; avoid religion, woo, etc. (by "common" I generally mean common to atheists).

What evidence do you accept for your beliefs?

Common sense/intelligent consideration/science (by "common" I generally mean common to atheists).

Hope this helps

 

[ImaginalDisc]

I can't speak for other atheists, but I can speak for myself.

I do not decide what to believe. I didn't decide to believe in the Theory of Gravity, it is the theory that best fits the evidence - I accept its scientific validity. I won't swear to it still if another, more comprehensive theory envelops it, as relativity has.

I am a skeptic, if something is well supported by the evidence, I accept it more or less tentatively. If it is not, I cannot believe in it. I'm really very confused by your language. Do you mean to suggest that you can, by force of will, change your mind? Do you grunt and strain and suddenly your reasoning centers realign?

I didn't choose to disbelieve in god anymore than I chose to disbelieve in leprechauns.

 

[GreyICE]

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?

It isn't. I don't have a belief system. I have opinions, logical arguments, reasoning, deduction, and evidence. If someone presents me with new evidence or a superior chain of logic, I modify or discard what I have.

What's the process you use?

Evidence gathering, logic, reasoning.

What evidence do you accept for your beliefs?

Observational, statistical, and some theory-based, as long as it's all reliable. Obviously, any evidence has to pass the reliability challenge - hence skepticism.

 

[Southwind17]

Getting all aggressive about non-belief like Dawkins, that's off-putting in the same way aggressive religions are.

When did Dawkins get all aggressive? I think he's just very passionate about atheism (not to mention his critical thinking towards it).

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

What I would like to know is:

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?

I don't believe in any correct Way worthy of the capital letter. My beliefs either fit the world or they do not. When they do not, they die. There's not really a decision-making process involved.

 

[bokonon]

I don't believe my belief system is THE true correct way.

It works for me, and doesn't intentionally injure others. I guess there are some principles which I believe in -- honor your promises, behave responsibly, don't deceive people. The process I use is introspection and attention to the feedback I get from those around me.

 

[ksbluesfan]

Most people use a similar process to decide what to believe. Atheist just put a lot less emphasis on faith.

 

[the PC apeman]

I don't feel as though I decide what beliefs to have. They seem to survive on their own via greater coherency. Disjoint, smaller networks of ideas tend to get refused (if new) or fade away as links are dissolved.

PC

 

[billydkid]

So,

Recently I saw a thread where an atheist basically made a post showing why his belief system (in this case Materialistic Humanism) was superior to theistic beliefs.

What I would like to know is:

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?
What's the process you use?
What evidence do you accept for your beliefs?

"Beliefs" suggests something to do with faith. Atheists (or "athiests" if The Atheist prefers) may or may not have faiths or some sort, I guess. And, of course, you question can be directed back at yourself. Anybody who has faith of any sort - by which I mean belief in something without evidence (or, often enough, in spite of evidence) - has the same dilema, "Why do I believe this thing I believe when there is no justifiable reason for doing so?" You mention "Materialistic Humanism" as though it is a faith on par with religion and I suppose that there are those people of adopt this as a faith on principle, but taking as just the meaning of the words, well, if you don't believe in the supernatural you have to believe that the universe is material and if you don't believe in God, who does that leave except humans? "Materialistic Humanism" may be a faith, but materialism and humanism are not. All the evidence that exists suggests there is no reason to believe in an omnipotent overlord (God) and none of it suggests that there is a dimension of reality corresponding to the non-material.

 

[Undesired Walrus]

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?
What's the process you use?
What evidence do you accept for your beliefs?

This is the problem I have with the term "Atheist". Technically, you are an "AHobGoblinist" in the same way I am. I am just a person who finds the existence of a God unlikely (And a theistic God extremely unlikely), needless, and believing in one demeaning to what is great about humanity.

When you ask what process I use, well, I use the same process you use to determine there is no Fairies, Thor, or the northern-Iraqi angel Melek Taus, the peacock who gave birth to the universe. It's a lack of evidence.

It takes time to realise you are simply applying a human concept, a man inventing tools, to the most spectacular event that ever happened and ever will, the creation of the universe. Our brains are not designed for it.

My previous visions of Mary in the burning ash of catholic candlewax seemed ridiculous.

As for my beliefs in the world, I derive them from Beckett, Lucien Zell, Kubrick, Kant, relatives, wise friends, and an ex-heroin addict.

 

[KingMerv00]

My thoughts go something like this:

1) I think therefore I exist.
2) Sensation fills my existence.
3) I am unable to ignore this sensation.
4) The sensations follow certain repeatable pattern. I call these patterns the "laws of nature".
5) Using the "laws of nature" to predict the future has worked so far.
6) "Faith" is a popular belief system but it leads to impossible outcomes. (Two people can have equally strong faith in two completely contradictory worldviews therefore one or both must be wrong.)
7) Therefore, empirical evidence is the way to go.



ACS - Is there anything wrong with what you see?

 

[Spindrift]

So,

Recently I saw a thread where an atheist basically made a post showing why his belief system (in this case Materialistic Humanism) was superior to theistic beliefs.

What I would like to know is:

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?
What's the process you use?
What evidence do you accept for your beliefs?

I don't think of it as a belief system. I don't rely on beliefs, I rely on evidence. That I may be wrong about something doesn't endanger me the way it does those who invest their faith in their chosen god. If something new comes up I will simply adapt to the new evidence.

I'm also not particularly concerned with it being the "true correct Way". That's one of the problems with almost all religions. They all seem to believe they are the "true correct Way". Well they all can't be right. If there was a "true correct Way" I would hope that it would be obvious which one is correct or that's certainly a rather uncaring deity who would allow all those competing "true correct Ways" and the suffering of humankind as a result of the competition between them.

The evidence I use is a lack of any evidence of a god leads me to the conclusion there is no god. The same way the lack of evidence of a unicorn leads me to the conclusion that there are no unicorns.

 

[El Greco]

I have developed (and continue developing) my "value system" in the same way most thinking persons do. If Christians were true believers, they would sell all their stuff and dole it out to the poor.

 

[A Christian Sceptic]

Some of you believe you don't have any belief systems?

 

[Undesired Walrus]

Some of you believe you don't have any belief systems?

What do you mean by belief systems? It's quite clear most of us do.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Some of you believe you don't have any belief systems?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't believe in anything if I can possibly help it. Beliefs are groundless and when science turns its critical eye on them they are usually found to be completely false.

I try to make do with ideas, hypothesies, and theories (In the scientific sense, as in a unified explanation for observed phenomenea that is consistent with all known facts and makes the fewest assumptions - and which makes testable predictions.)

 

[GreyICE]

Some of you believe you don't have any belief systems?

I try to avoid anything that looks overly like a belief system.

 

[The Man]

What would you be comfortable with?
If one needs a label, then seek out that label.
I expect many people become unhappy with the contradictions in religions, and are happy to find there's others with similar mind sets without getting too involved in finding how to behave according to an atheistic dogma/liturgy.
Getting all aggressive about non-belief like Dawkins, that's off-putting in the same way aggressive religions are.

I think the labeling issue is the most important for me. I never felt a need to apply labels to individuals or a reason to do that to myself. I have never really been one for group affiliations, the decoder rings never fit and I keep forgetting the secret hand shakes, if I had to label myself though, it would be agnostic.

So,

Recently I saw a thread where an atheist basically made a post showing why his belief system (in this case Materialistic Humanism) was superior to theistic beliefs.

What I would like to know is:

How do you decide your belief system is the true correct Way?

I don’t, what works for me may not work for others, just as some people are comfortable with labeling themselves and others while some are not.

What's the process you use?

Every process that is available to me and some that are not, one can always learn a lot form others and their experiences as long as you are open to the processes of others.

What evidence do you accept for your beliefs?

Kind of a loaded question, if you choose what evidence to accept then you is biased. If something does not support some particular conclusion then it is not evidence of anything in particular.