JWeinCom on 19 September 2018
| SpokenTruth said: Linguistics. "Theist" - One who actively believes in a God. "A-theist" - One who does not actively believe in a God. More specifically: Implicit atheism - One who does not actively believe in a God (not a conscious decision). Explicit atheism - One who actively does not believe in a God (a conscious decision). Don't like the linguistics, make up new terms to explicitly state what you mean. |
You definitely can define it that way if you want, but I just don't think it's the best way to do it. When we talk about atheists, I think we're pretty much always talking about what you're calling explicit atheists. So, I think it's just easier to use the term that way. It avoids having to explain implicit vs explicit in every conversation, and is just easier to say.
Again, I have no real objection to this definition. It's a perfectly adequate solution to the issue. I just don't think it's the best one.
