Blogsnark: Arrogant Atheists?

It never ceases to amaze me what sorts of assumptions that people make about atheists. One of the most curious is the assumption that atheists are arrogant. Why? Because making assumptions without even caring enough to bother to ask questions in order to learn more is itself a sign of arrogance. Thus, we have a person demonstrating arrogance while criticizing others for their alleged arrogance.

Krss, in an excellent example of this phenomenon, comments on something from this site about the origin of life:

"It seems clear"? "Rather commonplace in the universe"? "There is no "vital force"" etc. Sheesh, can you tell this person is sure of themselves?

Actually, the use of words like “seems” and “rather” are used to communicate the tentative nature of such assertions, but let’s not allow little facts like that to interfere...

The article continues with expressing some case in which entropy decreases in an open system, or something like that. What does it prove? ... Maybe I didn't understand the point, I don't know. But the article annoys me.

So, Krss doesn’t understand the article, doesn’t understand what is said, but it still annoyed by it. Perhaps the annoyance would go away with some education about physics?

Plus I don't care about atheism. I think it's a very limited way of viewing life and it gives the atheist a dangerous arrogance- after all, if there are no gods doesn't it mean that we humans are the coolest stuff ever?

This is just so far wrong that it’s mind-boggling. Consider, just for example, the rather common theistic belief (common among western theistic religions, at least) that we humans are specific and deliberate creations by God — often, in fact, created in this god’s image. This, evidently, isn’t all that arrogant — but atheists who believe that the human species evolved from other life forms and don’t possess anything that isn’t at least hinted at in other species are arrogant.

With just a little research, Krss would have discovered that atheism isn’t a “way of viewing life,” that atheism isn’t “limited” in the manner described and that atheism doesn’t lead to the view that “humans are the coolest stuff ever.” Some atheists believe this, it is true — but quite a few theists believe it as well and they think that they have divine sanction for their belief. Comparing such an atheist and such a theist, which of the two arrogant positions do you suppose is the most arrogant?

This sort of cluelessness is reinforced by one of the comments there:

The problem with atheism is that without any higher power, it's easy to get too arrogant.

Right. On the other hand, believing in a higher power that created in you in its image and whose Will you know very well is a great way to avoid being arrogant.

As I noted above, it’s supremely ironic to witness such unfounded arrogance being used to accuse atheists of arrogance. It does not seem that either of these people knows the least little thing about atheism or atheists, but that doesn’t’ prevent them form pontificating about atheism and atheists — judging atheists in a manner which, coincidentally, allows them to feel smug and superior. That, by the way, is a nice definition of arrogance.

I may be accused of many things, but not of placing high value on humanity.

How about a high value on science and reason? They’re often good places to start. Neither religion nor belief in a “higher power” keep one from getting to arrogant; a good education, however, can. When you learn enough and learn how to reason well, it can help reinforce just how little we really do know. That can prevent one from being so pompous as to assume they know it all.

 

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