Board index ‹ Atheism

[Realm Research]

How long would it take an atheist/agnostic/skeptic to seek God in order to find Him?

[jimwalton]

It's not a matter of math, probability or predictability. It's a matter of the heart and is different for every individual.

[Tarnished]

> It's not a matter of math, probability or predictability. It's a matter of the heart and is different for every individual.

It seems it's not a matter of evidence. It seems it's a matter of wanting to join a club or a matter of bad epistemology or a matter of indoctrination.

[jimwalton]

Wow, I disagree strongly with that. We have to follow the evidence where it leads—WHEREVER it leads. I'm an evidentialist. I couldn't care less about a club. And certainly want nothing to do with bad epistemology and senseless indoctrination.

[Goo Goo Dolls]

Is evidentialism a "matter of the heart"?

[jimwalton]

To some extent. People make more decisions viscerally than they do intellectually. Sometimes despite the evidence, people's hearts make them hold to a position. It is people's "gut" that often motivates them to accept certain evidence and reject other evidence. In the context of this particular discussion, it often takes a lot of evidence to dissuade an atheist from their position, but a large part of that is their heart struggling with the disequilibrium caused by the notion of accepting religion as a viable alternative. So, yes, making decisions is both intellectual and visceral.