Practical atheism is the view that one should live life without concern about a god, without rejecting or accepting claims about god(s).
Practical atheism has an overlap with
apatheism
Apatheism (; a portmanteau of ''apathy'' and ''theism'') is the attitude of apathy toward the existence or non-existence of God(s). It is more of an attitude rather than a belief, claim, or belief system. The term was coined by Canadian sociolog ...
, which sees the god question as of little interest: this is not necessarily true of practical atheism. Since practical atheism doesn't address the god claim, one can be both a theist and a practical atheist.
Forms
Philosopher
Zofia Zdybicka
Zofia Józefa Zdybicka (born 5 August 1928 in Kraśnik) is a nun and philosopher. She has been a professor at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin since 1978. Her order name is Maria Józefa in the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Ag ...
lists four forms of practical atheism.
[
*Where one is not guided by religious principles
*Where one has a lack of interest in matters related to a god or gods
*Ignorance of the concept of a god
*Where one excludes a god or gods from intellectual pursuits and practical action at the individual or social level
]
History
Historically, practical atheism was considered by some people to be associated with moral failure, willful ignorance, and impiety. Those considered practical atheists were said to behave as though God, ethics, and social responsibility did not exist.
According to the French Catholic philosopher Étienne Borne, "Practical atheism is not the denial of the existence of God, but complete godlessness of action; it is a moral evil, implying not the denial of the absolute validity of the moral law but simply rebellion against that law."
In response to Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
, French philosopher Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...
wrote: "It is very important not to mistake hemlock for parsley
Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...
; but not at all so to believe or not in God."
References
Philosophy of religion
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