Apatheism
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Apatheism (/ˌæpəˈθiːɪzəm/ a portmanteau of apathy and theism/atheism), also known as pragmatic atheism or (critically) as practical atheism, is acting with apathy, disregard, or lack of interest towards belief or disbelief in a deity. Apatheism describes the manner of acting towards a belief or lack of a belief in a deity, so it applies to both theism and atheism. An apatheist is also someone who is not interested in accepting or denying any claims that gods exist or do not exist. In other words, an apatheist is someone who considers the question of the existence of gods as neither meaningful nor relevant to his or her life.
Apathetic agnosticism (also called pragmatic agnosticism) acknowledges that any amount of debate can neither prove, nor disprove, the existence of one or more deities, and if one or more deities exist, they do not appear to be concerned about the fate of humans. Therefore, their existence has little to no impact on personal human affairs and should be of little theological interest.
Apatheists hold that if it were possible to prove that God exists, their behavior would not change. Similarly, there would be no change if someone proved that God does not exist.[1]
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History [edit]
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; they abandoned duty and embraced hedonism. 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."[2]
In the 21st century, pragmatic atheism has been seen in a more positive light. The journalist Jonathan Rauch believes that "apatheism is to be celebrated as nothing less than a major civilizational advance. Religion, as countless acts of violence in the name of God have underscored, remains the most divisive and volatile of social forces... Apatheism, therefore, should not be assumed to represent a lazy recumbency... Just the opposite: it is the product of a determined cultural effort to discipline the religious mindset, and often of an equally determined personal effort to master the spiritual passions. It is not a lapse. It is an achievement."[3]
Types of apatheism [edit]
An apatheist may justify their decision using one of these perspectives, or they may combine all of the below to create their own attitude towards faith.
Absence of religious motivation [edit]
This apatheistic argument states that morals are present in human society and do not rely on religion to be a part of the human experience. Apatheists recognize that religion may provide a "comfort" for many people around the world, but apatheists do not need religion to be content with the morality of their lives and therefore live without it[citation needed]. This is known as "moral apatheism".
Indifference [edit]
Indifference is better known as indifferentism, the belief that all religions are equal in value. Use of indifferentism in this context was popularized by Kant in his Critique of Pure Reason.[4] Kant argues that indifferentism represents an extreme form of skepticism that argues that there is no rational ground for accepting any philosophical position.[4] According to the Catholic Church, this type of absolute indifferentism results in a willingness to concede any position.[citation needed] It is often associated with moral relativism.
The Catholic Encyclopedia ascribes indifferentism to all atheistic, materialistic, pantheistic, and agnostic philosophies, as well as religious pluralist philosophy, such as that espoused by Rousseau.[5]
Indifference is the perspective exemplified by the following statement: "Since the existence of God can never be proven, nor can it be disproven, I won't waste my time asking questions to which there are no answers."[citation needed]
No evidence [edit]
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This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2012) |
This argument takes a more scientific perspective, criticizing blind faith (faith without logical evidence to support it). It argues that if a deity or deities truly wanted people to believe in them, then said deity or deities could demonstrate their existence with miracles, and explain their plan(s) for humanity or the lack thereof. Being all-powerful, if they truly wanted humans to believe, they could send a divine sign not left up to interpretation. Since they do not seem to care if humans believe or not, apatheists will not care until they show them a reason to, and perhaps not even if such an event occurred[citation needed]. (This is in essence the argument from nonbelief.)
Quotes [edit]
The eighteenth century French philosopher Denis Diderot, when accused of being an atheist, replied that he simply did not care whether God existed or not. In response to Voltaire, he wrote that "It is very important not to mistake hemlock for parsley; but not at all so to believe or not in God."[6]
Jonathan Rauch described apatheism as "a disinclination to care all that much about one's own religion, and an even stronger disinclination to care about other people's".[7]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Robinson, B.A. (29 January 2012). "Apatheism: 'Does God exist? I don't know & I don't really care'". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ Borne, Étienne (1961). Atheism. New York: Hawthorn Books. ISBN 0-415-04727-7.
- ^ Rauch, Jonathan, Let It Be: Three Cheers for Apatheism, The Atlantic Monthly, May 2003
- ^ a b Rees, D.A. (1954) "Kant, Bayle and Indifferentism," The Philosophical Review, 63(4)
- ^ Fox, J. (1910) "Religious Indifferentism," The Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ Herrick, Jim (1985). Against the Faith. London: Glover & Blair. p. 75. ISBN 0-906681-09-X.
- ^ Rauch, Jonathan, Let It Be: Three Cheers for Apatheism, The Atlantic Monthly, May 2003
External links [edit]
- Apatheism, Allognosticism, and the American Religious Landscape.
- Apatheism defined on Atheism.about.com
- ABC New Radio:wordwatch, Apatheism
- Apathetic Agnostics
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