Can one be an atheist and still believe in souls?

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Candles15
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30 Aug 2012, 8:58 am

Sure, Atheists only don't believe in theism. Souls are spiritual.

ruveyn
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30 Aug 2012, 9:22 am

Candles15 wrote:

Sure, Atheists only don't believe in theism. Souls are spiritual.

More accurately, souls are non-material.

If we can accept the genuine reality of electromagnetic fields (say), it is not much of a stretch to accept the genuine reality of souls as existing in the real cosmos.

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31 Aug 2012, 2:15 am

ruveyn wrote:

Candles15 wrote:

Sure, Atheists only don't believe in theism. Souls are spiritual.

Electromagnetic fields can be demonstrated to be real through scientific experimentation. Souls have never been demonstrated in any way. The concept of "soul" is not needed to explain human life. We are the animals who evolved to fill a niche in nature in which large brains enable us to thrive.

As you may have surmised, I am an atheist because I am, first and foremost, a skeptic.

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Declension
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31 Aug 2012, 2:31 am

Depends what you mean. I think that "hard materialists" are obviously wrong, since my subjective experience cannot be directly explained by reference to my physical properties. But does that mean I believe in a "soul"? Not really. It just means that I believe that certain kinds of physical systems have subjective experience. I don't think it continues after the system is destroyed.

slave
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03 Sep 2012, 8:25 pm

ruveyn wrote:

Candles15 wrote:

Sure, Atheists only don't believe in theism. Souls are spiritual.

May I ask, do you, "accept the genuine reality of souls as existing in the real cosmos"?

If you do, do you believe that they continue to exist after the body expires?

Theuniverseman
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09 Sep 2012, 3:12 pm

What evolutionary purpose would a soul serve? How could a physical process like evolution, or any process create something which is by definition intangible? I think that you are simply afraid of death, which is perfectly understandable, but if you cease to exist when you die then what is there to fear? I fear existing for all eternity far more than ceasing to exist.

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Alfonso12345
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09 Sep 2012, 4:26 pm

Vexcalibur wrote:

A very stupid kind of atheist, but yes.

I don't think a little wishful thinking makes a person stupid. It's when they believe in something without evidence and claim that their belief is fact, that they become stupid, in regards to their belief.

Vexcalibur
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09 Sep 2012, 7:47 pm

Alfonso12345 wrote:

Vexcalibur wrote:

A very stupid kind of atheist, but yes.

I don't think a little wishful thinking makes a person stupid.

Well, I think that holding contradictory beliefs like being an atheist AND believing in souls is a bit stupid. The soul does not have more evidence than god, so it is at best inconsistent .

Quote:

It's when they believe in something without evidence and claim that their belief is fact, that they become stupid, in regards to their belief.

Well, the question was about believing not about wanting souls to be true. I like to believe in some sort of order, but I know that the more rational default is not to believe in such thing.

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Alfonso12345
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09 Sep 2012, 9:56 pm

Vexcalibur wrote:

Alfonso12345 wrote:

Vexcalibur wrote:

A very stupid kind of atheist, but yes.

I don't think a little wishful thinking makes a person stupid.

Well, I think that holding contradictory beliefs like being an atheist AND believing in souls is a bit stupid. The soul does not have more evidence than god, so it is at best inconsistent .

Quote:

It's when they believe in something without evidence and claim that their belief is fact, that they become stupid, in regards to their belief.

Well, the question was about believing not about wanting souls to be true. I like to believe in some sort of order, but I know that the more rational default is not to believe in such thing.

I wasn't thinking about the contradictory beliefs, I was just thinking about people who might find comfort in believing in a soul, but it really wouldn't make much sense for an atheist to believe in such a thing, unless of course they were Buddhist.

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09 Sep 2012, 10:00 pm

Yes. an atheist doesn't believe in any form of god. that doesn't necessarily mean they don't believe in spiritual or supernatural dimensions of reality.

someone who doesn't believe in anything spiritual or supernatural in a secularist.

enrico_dandolo
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10 Sep 2012, 6:59 am

Tensu wrote:

The word you are looking for is "materialist".

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