Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheese
I hate to inform you but....this is a typical Straw Man argument.
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This is a problem of semantics, not a straw man. The definition of atheism that you give is a weak definition, and I could just as easily find other definitions of atheism that take the stronger position. In my experience studying the philosophy of religion 'atheism' is generally defined by the stronger position in which it requires a belief in a positive statement. If a person wants to adapt the weaker position I would say that it's not the best use of the term, but it changes the nature of the debate. In that case you would be defining 'atheism' as an abstinence from belief either way, which I would say is silly because that's 'agnosticism', but then of course you wouldn't have to prove anything because you wouldn't have a belief in a positive statement. It's just making the usage of 'atheism' redundant.