- Weak atheist: doesn’t think gods exist.
- Strong atheist: knows that gods do not exist.
- Weak agnostic: doesn’t know if gods exist.
- Strong agnostic: says no one can know if any gods exist.
- Physicalist: doesn’t think supernatural things exist (unlike some atheists who think things like souls/spirits/spirituality/reincarnation exist).
I’m a weak agnostic, weak atheist, physicalist. I’ll change my position when presented with scientific evidence, or good honest arguments.
I always describe myself as a “cheerful agnostic” - don’t know, don’t care.
I’m a strong physicalist. If a thing is measurable, it is not supernatural… It is by definition natural. But I think it’s a bit of a tautology as well. Basically things that exist are natural. Supernatural things don’t exist.
Is there a good way to break it down that isn’t a tautology?
I don’t see why not. Atheism, like theism, knows all kind of different people and perspectives. For me, atheism means the conviction of the absolute absence of god and that god was a creation by man to explain what the science of the time could not. Atheism does not, in my mind, discount some sense of spirituality through the respect of nature and seeking to live in harmony. I think I might hate the dogmatic religions like Judaism, Islam, and Christianity because they really are responsible for a lot, if not most, of the problems that we have today.
