Expert: Austin Cline - 5/27/2007

Question
I find it difficult to understand the 'strong' atheist position for two reasons:

1. It is reasonable for the 'weak' atheist to demand evidence of God, but the
'Strong' atheist dismisses the notion in entirety by applying logic and reason
which is not a bad idea at all. However science (Quantum mechanics) tells us
that common sense and logic are not always applicable or relevant to all
'realities'. There are no gurantees that logic would apply to the spiritual
world.

Although you can't reason your way into God you can't confidently reason
your way out of him.


2. Many aspects of the universe seem to run along a defined path and
towards some kind of target.
Entropy tends to increase over time and evolution is driven towards
complexity of function. The latter has resulted in conscience/intelligence
without which even the existence of the universe would be pointless as it
wouldn't be able to 'perceive' itself.

Thus our own empirical observations indicate 'direction' or even 'purpose' to
our existence.

Would you agree?

Answer
"However science (Quantum mechanics) tells us that common sense and logic are not always applicable or relevant to all 'realities'. There are no gurantees that logic would apply to the spiritual world."

1. This assumes that there is such a thing as a "spiritual world."

2. By the same reasoning, a person can't deny the existence of anything: fairies, elves, Santa, or even Darth Vader. Yet we do feel comfortable denying them given what we know. The same is certainly true of some conceptions of "god."

"Many aspects of the universe seem to run along a defined path and towards some kind of target."

Nothing about the universe seems that way to me. Complexity evolves insofar as it assists in survival; many species exist for millennia without evolving conscience or much intelligence precisely because it isn't always needed for survival. No, I don't agree that there are any empirical observations indicating that there is any "direction" or outside "purpose" to our existence. If you want purpose for your existence, it's something you have to develop and create for yourself out of your own life. If you don't, no one else will do it for you.