CreateDebate


Debate Info

3
2
Yes No
Debate Score:5
Arguments:7
Total Votes:5
More Stats

Argument Ratio

side graph
 
 Yes (2)
 
 No (2)

Debate Creator

Akulakhan(2985) pic



Is atheism an identity?

For most atheists, I assume, it's simply a declaration. But does not believing in a god inform or alter our perception of reality enough to warrant a categorically separate Identity? And if so, how different would atheism be from something like humanism or secularism (not to claim that in this case any of these would be mutually exclusive from any other)? Or is it that the collective agreement on one issue isn't substantial enough to do so, especially so considering how atheism carries no innate dogma or rule set?

Yes

Side Score: 3
VS.

No

Side Score: 2
2 points

If you identify as one.

Side: Yes
Akulakhan(2985) Clarified
2 points

Clearly you can identify as an atheist, but on a cultural level would atheism be an identity?

Side: Yes
1 point

The difference between being an atheist and say, for example, being a feminist is that being an atheist only requires one denial of a claim, as where the other requires a set of shared opinions; therefore any two atheists could disagree on any number of other issues and yet remain uncontradicted as atheists. The same could not be said for feminism.

Side: No
Jace(5222) Disputed
1 point

I don't disagree with your assessment of atheism... but your evaluation of feminism seems rather off. The minimal requirement for feminism is really just a rejection of patriarchy, there are numerous divergent schools of feminism when you get into detail beyond that, and feminists disagree on a broad range of other issues without contradicting their basic position.

Side: Yes
Akulakhan(2985) Clarified
2 points

i'm merely using feminism for sake of argument. Perhaps it is a bad example considering the amount of separate schools of though in feminism. Even if this were the case, and they shared a rejection of patriarchy, their separate ideas are necessarily derived from that shared tenant. The same could not be said for atheism.

Side: Yes
1 point

It CAN be an identity but it doesn't have to be. Atheism isn't about making your life mission rejecting God, it's instead rejecting the religious identities and beliefs others in society try to force upon you.

Side: No
Akulakhan(2985) Clarified
2 points

I'm in agreement with you for the most part, but it should be noted that there are religious atheists such as Christian atheism and humanistic Judaism which do hold religious identities.

Side: Yes