Flew The Presumption of Atheism飞无神论的推定.pptVIP

Flew:The Presumption of Atheism Critical Reading (A Partial List) Read S L O W L Y Read more than once Read aggressively Write comments and questions in margins Circle words that you don’t know and look them up Critical Reading Continued Identify the main ideas, supporting arguments, and supporting examples Try to draw connections between one part of the text and another Summarize the argument when you are done to see what you still don’t understand Reflect about what the author is saying: Ask yourself if you agree with the author.? If you don’t, figure out why. Flew: The Presumption of Atheism 1. What it is, and why it matters 2. The presumption of atheism and the presumption of innocence (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) 3. The case for the presumption of atheism (i) (ii) The Presumption of Atheism Flew claims that debates about God should begin from a “presumption of atheism” (PoA). As he puts it, the PoA amounts to the claim that: “The onus of proof must lie upon the theist” “Theism” and “Atheism” “Theist” Someone who positively asserts that God exists. “Negative Atheist” (“Atheist”) Someone who is not a theist. Someone who doesn’t assert that God exists. “Postive Atheist” Someone who positively asserts that God doesn’t exist. The Presumption of Atheism PoA: “The onus of proof must lie upon the theist” It is up to the theist to: (i) Introduce and defend her proposed concept of God (ii) Provide sufficient reason for believing that this concept does in fact have an application. The Presumption of Innocence Flew compares the PoA to the legal presumption of innocence. Presumption of Innocence: All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The onus of proof must lie upon the prosecution. Flew claims that both the PoA and the legal presumption of innocence are procedural. He then uses the analogy to make four points: (i) In both cases, the required “proof” encompasses “any and every variety of sufficient reason”. (ii) Both presumptions ar