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Arguments and positions

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The Presumption of Atheism

Philosopher Antony Garrard Newton Flew
Philosopher Antony Garrard Newton Flew Authored The Presumption of Atheism in 1976

In 1976, the well-known atheist Analytic Philosopher Antony_Flew wrote The Presumption of Atheism, in which he argued that the question of God's existence should begin by assuming the position of atheism. When he forwarded this proposition, the norm for academic philosophy and public dialogue was for atheists to argue that God does not exist with theists taking the opposite position. with both the atheist and theist having a 'burden of proof' for their respective positions.[1][2] In his 1976 publication Flew proposed that his academic peers redefine 'atheism' to bring about these changes:

What I want to examine is the contention that the debate about the existence of God should properly begin from the presumption of atheism, that the onus of proof must lie upon the theist. The word 'atheism', however, has in this contention to be construed unusually. Whereas nowadays the usual meaning of 'atheist' in English is 'someone who asserts that there is no such being as God, I want the word to be understood not positively but negatively... in this interpretation an atheist becomes: not someone who positively asserts the non-existence of God; but someone who is simply not a theist. The introduction of this new interpretation of the word 'atheism' may appear to be a piece of perverse Humpty-Dumptyism, going arbitrarily against established common usage. 'Whyever', it could be asked, don't you make it not the presumption of atheism but the presumption of agnosticism?[3]

— Excerpts from The Presumption of Atheism, by Anthony Flew, 1976

Flew's proposition saw little acceptance in the 20th century though in the early 21st century Flew's broader definition of atheism came to be forwarded more commonly.[4][5] In 2007, Analytic Philosopher William Lane Craig's desribed the presumption of atheism as  "one of the most commonly proffered justifications of atheism."[6] And in 2010, BBC journalist William_Crawley explained that Flew's presumption of atheism "made the case, now followed by today's new atheism" arguing that atheism should be the default position.[2][7] In today's debates atheists forward the presumption of atheism arguing that atheism is the default position [8][9] with no burden of proof,[10][11] and assert that the burden of proof for God's existance rests solely on the theist.[1][12][13][14]

The presumption of atheism has been the subject of criticism by atheists [15][16] agnostics[17], and theists[18][19] since Flew advance his position more than 40 years ago.

Criticism of the presumption of atheism
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The Agnostic Analytic Philosopher Anthony Kenny rejected the presumption of atheism on any definition of atheism arguing that "the true default position is neither theism nor atheism, but agnosticism" adding "a claim to knowledge needs to be substantiated, ignorance need only be confessed."[20]  

Many different definitions may be offered of the word 'God'. Given this fact, atheism makes a much stronger claim than theism does. The atheist says that no matter what definition you choose, 'God exists' is always false. The theist only claims that there is some definition which will make 'God exists' true. In my view, neither the stronger nor the weaker claim has been convincingly established".[21]

— Excerpt from What I Believe, by Anthony Kenny, 2007
Modal Logician Philosopher Alvin Plantinga is widely regarded as the world’s most important living Christian philosopher
Modal Logician Philosopher Alvin Plantinga is widely regarded as the worlds most important Christian Philosopher[22]

Outspoken atheist Philosopher Kai Nielsen criticized the presumption of atheism arguing that without an independent concept of rationality or a concept of rationality that atheists and theists can mutually accepted, there is no common foundation on which to adjudicate rationality of positions concerning the existence of God.  Because the atheist's conceptualization of 'rational' differs from the theist, Nielsen argues, both positions can be rationally justified.[23][24][15]

Analytic Philosopher and Modal logician Alvin Plantinga, a theist, rejected the presumption of atheism forwarding a two-part argument. First, he shows that there is no objection to belief in God unless the belief is shown to be false. Second, he argues that belief in God could be be rationally warranted if it is a properly basic or foundational belief through an innate human “sense of the divine”.[6] Plantinga argues that if we have the innate knowledge of God which he theorizes as a possibility, we could trust belief in God the same way we trust our cognitive faculties in other similar matters, such as our rational belief that there are other minds beyond our own, something we believe, but for which there can be no evidence. Alvin Plantinga's argument puts theistic belief an equal evidential footing with atheism even if Flew's definition of atheism is accepted.[24]

University of Notre Dame Philosopher Ralph McInerny goes further than Plantinga arguing that belief in God reasonably follows from our observations of the natural order and the law-like character of Natural events. McInerny argues that the extent of this natural order is so pervasive as to be almost innate, providing a prima facie argument against atheism. McInerny's position goes further than plantinga's arguing that theism is evidences and that the burden of proof rests on the atheist, not on the theist.[24][25]

Theoretical Philosopher William Lane Craig
Theoretical Philosopher William Lane Craig is a well-known critic of atheist philosophies.

The Analytic Philosopher William Lane Craig wrote that if Flew's broader definition of atheism is seen as  "merely the absence of belief in God" atheism "ceases to be a view", and even infants count as atheists." For atheism to be a view, Craig adds, "One would still require justification in order to know either that God exists or that He does not exist."[6] Like the agnostic Anthony Kenny, Craig  argues that there is no presumption for atheism because it is distinct from agnosticism:

such an alleged presumption is clearly mistaken. For the assertion that "There is no God" is just as much a claim to knowledge as is the assertion that "here is a God."  Therefore, the former assertion requires justification just as the latter does.  It is the agnostic who makes no knowledge claim at all with respect to God’s existence."[26]

— Excerpt from Definition of Atheism by William Lane Craig, 2007

Forty years after Flew published his position on the presumption of atheism his proposition remains controversial.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Crawly, William (16 April 2010). "Antony Flew: the atheist who changed his mind". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 September 2016. His books God and Philosophy (1966) and The Presumption of Atheism (1976) [Flew] made the case, now followed by today's new atheists, that atheism should be the intelligent person's default until well-established evidence to the contrary arises
  3. ^ Flew, Anthony (1976). The Presumption of Atheism (PDF). Common Sense Atheism.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "Atheists, agnostics and theists". Is there a God?. Retrieved 28 September 2016. But it is common these days to find atheists who define the term to mean "without theism"... Many of them then go on to argue that this means that the "burden of proof" is on the theist...
  5. ^ Day, Donn. "Atheism - Etymology". The Divine Conspiracy. Retrieved 28 September 2016. In the last twenty years or so atheists and theists have taken to debating on college campuses, and in town halls, all across this country. By using the above definition, atheists have attempted to shift the burden of proof.
  6. ^ a b c Craig, William Lane (2007). Martin, Michael (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, pp. 69-85. Ed. M. Martin. Cambridge Companions to Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 2007. Cambridge Companions to Philosophy. pp. 69–85. ISBN 9780521842709. [The Presumption of atheism is] One of the most commonly proffered justifications of atheism has been the so-called presumption of atheism.
  7. ^ "Atheism; Atheistic Naturalism". Internet Encyclopedia of Atheism. Retrieved 26 September 2016. A notable modern view is Antony Flew's Presumption of Atheism (1984).
  8. ^ Rauser, Randall (1 October 2012). "Atheist, meet Burden of Proof. Burden of Proof, meet Atheist". The Tentative Apologist. Retrieved 27 September 2016. There are very many atheists who think they have no worldview to defend.
  9. ^ Parsons, Keith M. (14 December 1997). "Do Atheists Bear a Burden of Proof?". The Secular Web. Retrieved 27 September 2016. The 'evidentialist challenge' is the gauntlet thrown down by atheist writers such as Antony Flew, Norwood Russell Hanson, and Michael Scriven. They argue that in debates over the existence of God, the burden of proof should fall on the theist. They contend that if theists are unable to provide cogent arguments for theism, i.e. arguments showing that it is at least more probable than not that God exists, then atheism wins by default.
  10. ^ Antony, Michael. "The New Atheism, Where's The Evidence?". Philosophy Now. Retrieved 27 September 2016. Another familiar strategy of atheists is to insist that the burden of proof falls on the believer.
  11. ^ Samples, Kenneth (Fall 1991). "Putting the Atheist on the Defensive". Christian Research Institute Journal. Retrieved 28 September 2016. When Christians and atheists engage in debate concerning the question, Does God exist? atheists frequently assert that the entire burden of proof rests on the Christian.
  12. ^ "The burden of truth". Rational Razor. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2016. Atheists tend to claim that the theist bears the burden of proof to justify the existence of God, whereas the theist tends to claim that both parties have an equal burden of proof.
  13. ^ Playford, Richard (9 June 2013). "Atheism and the burden of proof". The Christian Apologetics Alliance. Retrieved 2 October 2016. In this article I will show that atheism is a belief about the world and that it does require a justification in the same way that theism does.
  14. ^ "Atheist vs Agnostic". Retrieved 19 October 2016. Some atheists actively believe that no god exists while others hold that neither claim is sufficiently supported to justify acceptance
  15. ^ a b Nielsen, Kai (1985). Philosophy and Atheism: In Defense of Atheism. Prometheus Books. pp. 139–140. ISBN 9780879752897.
  16. ^ Antony Flew; Roy Abraham Varghese (2007), There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, New York: Harper One, p. Part II, Chapter 3 Following the Evidence where it Leads, ASIN B0076O7KX8.
  17. ^ Kenny, Anthony (1983). Faith and Reason. New York: Colombia University Press. p. 86. ASIN B000KTCLD0.
  18. ^ Craig, William Lane. "Definition of atheism". Reasonable Faith. Certain atheists in the mid-twentieth century were promoting the so-called "presumption of atheism.
  19. ^ Parsons, Keith (1989). God and the Burden of Proof: Plantinga, Swinburne, and the Analytical Defense of Theism. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-87975-551-5.
  20. ^ Antony Flew; Roy Abraham Varghese (2007), There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, New York: Harper One, p. Part II, Chapter 3 Following the Evidence where it Leads, ASIN B0076O7KX8.
  21. ^ Kenny, Anthony A. (2006). What I Believe. London & New York:: Continuum 0-8264-8971-0. pp. Chapter 3. ISBN 978-0826496164.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  22. ^ "Modernizing the Case for God", Time, April 5, 1980
  23. ^ Nielsen, Kai (1977). "Review of The Presumption of Atheism by Antony Flew". Religious Studies Review. 2 (July): 147.
  24. ^ a b c Antony Flew; Roy Abraham Varghese (2007), There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, New York: Harper One, p. Part II, Chapter 3 Following the Evidence where it Leads, ASIN B0076O7KX8.
  25. ^ Parsons, Keith M. "Do Atheists Bear a Burden of Proof?". The Secular Web. Retrieved 27 September 2016. Prof. Ralph McInerny goes a step further to argue that the burden of proof should fall on the unbeliever. Here I shall rebut Prof. McInerny's claim and argue that, in the context of public debate over the truth of theism, theists cannot shirk a heavy burden of proof.
  26. ^ Craig, William Lane (28 May 2007). "Definition of Atheism". Reasonable Faith. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
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