There's not nearly enough skepticism in America today -- or the world generally, for that matter. One place you're more likely to find skepticism in America today is probably in atheist communities. Not all atheists are skeptics and many atheists aren't skeptical enough, there's no denying this. Nevertheless, you're more likely to find people who are at least familiar with logic, fallacies, and how to evaluate claims among atheists than in the general population. Why?
I knew what an atheist and what an agnostic was when I came to this forum, but over the course of my time here I have been given the impression that part of the atheist or agnostic viewpoint is connected to the terms "skeptic" or "skepticism". It seems to be some sort of philosophy or viewpoint that is connected to atheism. How would you describe what being a skeptic means, and what is the connection to atheism?
Although skepticism and atheism are not automatically connected, it is true that many atheists are also skeptics -- skeptics of religion, theism, the supernatural, etc. If you are a skeptic and an atheist, how would you describe the manner in which the two are connected in your life and your beliefs?
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A skeptic is a person who doubts because of a lack of substantial evidence. A pseudoskeptic is a person who doubts because of a conflict with his existing beliefs. True Believers are never skeptical toward their own beliefs.
Skepticism has positive and negative connotations among different groups. Some groups see skeptics as the bad guys because they feel pressured by criticism as attempts to humiliate them. Other groups wish to take on the credibility of skepticism by pretending to be skeptics themselves (these are pseudoskeptics) and trying to make real skeptics look like True Believers of the opposite belief. These are the people who claim that science is a faith/religion.
The main connection is that many people become atheists due to skepticism. Skepticism resulted in atheism, so those atheists are also skeptics. A more minor, but still important connection, is that because so many atheists are also skeptics, people who are interested in atheism are exposed to skeptical thought. Although they became atheists for different reasons, they may adopt skeptical ideas once they’re exposed to them.
Personally, I was an atheist long before I got into the habit of thinking skeptically. I wasn’t raised in a religious household, so without my belief in God being constantly reinforced, it just faded away without any sort of deep philosophical thought on my part. Of course, now that I’m in the habit of skeptical thinking, I can say that my atheism is justified. Atheism seems like it’s the natural conclusion when applying skepticism to the existence of gods.