Expert: Philip A. Stahl - 9/7/2011

Question
Dear Philip

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism

I want to Know the Human Behavior Characteristics and personality traits of a Atheist ?

i.e What are the reasons for the Atheist in not believing in God ?.

Thanks & Regards,
Prashant S Akerkar

Answer
Hello,

There really are no special, or uniform "personality traits" that apply to all atheists. As soon as one likely thinks he's found a template for personality (say alienation from the religion of one's childhood, including possible abuse) one will quickly find others who became atheists independent of that background.

And please note that there is no "i.e." here, because the issue or question of possibily personality traits has not bearing on why most atheists withhold any belief in God.

Thus, whether one has a certain set of personality traits is not contingent (usually) of why he may express no inclination to embrace a deity.

As I explained in a Mensa Bulletin article some 17 years ago (and which is as valid now, as it was then):

"Let's be clear about what constitutes Atheism and what doesn't. The Atheist - to put it succinctly, absolutely withholds investing intellectual/emotional resources in any supernatural claim. Indeed the word Atheism itself embodies this definition.

What is happening here is **not active disbelief**, i.e. making a statement 'There is no god', but rather simply passively withholding belief/acceptance in a statement already made.  Hence, the deity believer has made the positive claim. The ontological atheist’s is the absence of belief in it. No more - no less."

In other words, I put the atheist (ontologically) in more or less the same category as a person who withholds belief in the claim of visiting alien beings - say made by a neighbor.

Thus, the rational response to such claims is not belief, but rather to wait for the neighbor to provide ample evidence to back up his claim ("Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence").

One then will assess the evidence, if it exists, and decide if the claim merits investment of any intellectual capital.

Hope this sheds some light!