Expert: Austin Cline - 10/15/2006

Question
I do not beleive in a God or gods, or anything of the supernatural.  I am curious though, is there a difference between atheism and realism?  I consider my self a realist, however would that make me an atheist as well, or are they the same thing?

Answer
Realism already has very specific philosophic meanings. Calling yourself a realist would thus cause confusion, not unlike calling yourself a naturalist. If you are an atheist, then you are an atheist - atheism doesn’t mean anything more or less than the absence of belief in gods. It doesn't exclude having a religion, believing in ghosts, UFOs, little elves, or anything other of a million odd things.

As the mere absence of belief in gods, atheism shouldn't define who you are. There are a million ways to arrive at the conclusion of atheism, some rational and some irrational. You should be defined by the methodology you use to arrive at such conclusions: skepticism, critical thinking, etc.