Atheism, in a broad sense, is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities.[1] As strong atheism, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.[2] Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist.[3] Atheism is contrasted with theism,[4] which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.[5][6]
Atheists tend to lean towards skepticism regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence.[citation needed] Common rationales for not believing in any deity include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical. Although some atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism,[10] rationalism, and naturalism,[11] there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere.[12]
In English, the term atheism was derived from the French athéisme in about 1587.[17] The term atheist (from Fr. athée), in the sense of "one who denies or disbelieves the existence of God",[18] predates atheism in English, being first attested in about 1571.[19] Atheist as a label of practical godlessness was used at least as early as 1577.[20] Related words emerged later: deist in 1621,[21] theist in 1662;[22] theism in 1678;[23] and deism in 1682.[24] Deism and theism changed meanings slightly around 1700, due to the influence of atheism; deism was originally used as a synonym for today's theism, but came to denote a separate philosophical doctrine.[25]
In practical, or pragmatic, atheism, also known as apatheism, individuals live as if there are no gods and explain natural phenomena without resorting to the divine. The existence of gods is not denied, but may be designated unnecessary or useless; gods neither provide purpose to life, nor influence everyday life, according to this view.[50] A form of practical atheism with implications for the scientific community is methodological naturalism—the "tacit adoption or assumption of philosophical naturalism within scientific method with or without fully accepting or believing it."[51]
Practical atheism can take various forms:
Absence of religious motivation—belief in gods does not motivate moral action, religious action, or any other form of action;
Active exclusion of the problem of gods and religion from intellectual pursuit and practical action;
Indifference—the absence of any interest in the problems of gods and religion; or
Unawareness of the concept of a deity.[52]
