Atheism: Defending its Basic Principles - Essay Example

? Atheism: Defending its Basic Principles Year Level, Section Academic – December 5, Atheism: Defending its Basic Principles In this essay, I wish to defend atheism on two basic principles: firstly, the problem on the concept of God; and secondly, the morality of existentialistic thinking. Through these principles, I intend to come up with a synthesis of my arguments that will set forth the value of atheism in upholding truth and freedom in society. A. The Problem on the Concept of God In order to maintain consistency and succinctness in my discussion, I like to begin this part by properly defining atheism. According to an online article of BBC entitled Atheism at a Glance, atheism is defined as the disbelief in God. The disbelief is a free act of the intellect that bases its conclusion on the impossibility and illogicality of God’s concept. Thus, from a metaphysical standpoint, God is not because his concept cannot exist. The intellect is able to prove the existence of a being based on intelligible proofs. For example, in proving that there is an apple, the self judges based on a unique concept of apple—the redness of its color and its distinct taste—which comes from actual human experience. In the case of God, theists use various conceptual proofs to prove the existence of God, mainly coming from biblical positions and logical argumentations. For this matter, I wish to underscore the two main logical arguments used for the existence of God—(1) the ontological argument; and (2) the first cause—and highlight the fallacies committed by each one. The ontological argument, as highlighted in an online article entitled Ontological Arguments by Graham Oppy, claims the existence of God by stating that God is that than which no greater can be conceived. If God is that than which no greater can be conceived then there is nothing greater than God that can be imagined. There is nothing greater than God that can be imaged. If God does not exist then there is something greater than God that can be imaged. God exists. This argument uses the nature of God as a direct implication of His existence. Since God is claimed to be the all powerful being, his nature should first and foremost surpass the boundaries of non-existence. It is apparent that the ontological argument does not prove the existence of God as it merely describes His nature. Thus, the argument is easy to refute by asking why the all powerful nature of God must directly justify His existence. It describes what God is, but does not answer why God is and how God came to be. In this sense, although God may be thought of in concept, this does mean that it translates to actuality. Moving on to the second main logical argument of theists, we begin by explaining the first cause argument. Theists argue that God is a perfect being in which His essence is precisely His existence. To understand this statement, it is important to revisit Aristotle’s metaphysics, as explained thoroughly in an online essay written by Joe Sachs entitled Metaphysics, which underscores the superiority of existence over essence in the coming of being. For example, in the statement ‘the runner runs’, the being, which is the runner, is identified by his essence, which is running. The action of running distinguishes a runner from a singer or a dancer. Existence, in this statement, is that which gives the runner its essence, which is ‘to be’. To Aristotle, the existence of all beings is caused by another being—a wood comes from the tree, the tree comes from a seed, and so on and so forth. Through this reasoning, Aristotle was able to justify the need for an ultimate cause of things, one that is perfect and self-sustaining. This is God. This reasoning falls under the formal syllogistic fallacy since to point out that God must exist because of the need for an originator for all things is already a false conclusion. By noting that existence is contingent and accidental, whereas essence endures within a being beyond the accidental and is thus metaphysical or intangible, not all essences, therefore, exist. Furthermore, since the first cause argument automatically inhibits the capacity of an essence from becoming existent without the action of God, this manifests the informal fallacy of begging the question: 1. Existence cannot come from essence, 2. God creates existence from essence, 3. Therefore, God exists. In both of these logical arguments, it must be noted that the impossibility of defining the concept of God makes the justification of God’s existence truly illogical. Since there are no apparent intelligible proofs, it follows that God cannot exist. B. Morality of Existentialistic Thinking An important issue arises whenever the existence of God is negated, especially when taken into consideration the nature of God as the all-loving being. In this light, ethics is questioned when God is taken out of the picture. Atheism posits that ethics can be argued without submitting to a strict theological concept. Goodness, in this light, becomes an innate manifestation of man. To better understand this concept, we have to take into consideration existentialism—which, in summary, posits that life in itself has no inherent meaning, it is only us that create the meaning for ourselves. With atheistic existentialism, man—and not God—is deemed to be the center of the universe since he exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world, and defines himself and how his life is going to be. This, therefore, reinforces the notion that there is no human nature since there is no God to have a conception of it. Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. With the dependence of fate on man’s hands alone, freedom is presumed. Freedom, in this sense, marks responsibility as man is ought to do what is good for him—an end that he must pursue. The perpetual pursuit of the morally good highlights true human happiness. The pursuit of goodness, however, does not end on the self alone. It must involve other persons as happiness in atheism is found on the communal attainment of greatness. Borrowing the Christian doctrine on common good, atheism banks most of its principles on unity and cooperation. Atheism, therefore, sees the universal transformation of the human community into a human paradise as its the primary goal. References: “Atheism at a Glance”. BBC.com.uk. BBC, 2009. Web. 5 December. 2011. “Ontological Arguments”. Stanford.edu. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2011. Web. 5 December. 2011 “Metaphysics”. Iep.edu. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2005. 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