Dawkins Scale

[fullywired]

In the "God Delusion" Richard Dawkins made a scale to assess your beliefs or lack of them ,how do you rate your self

1. Strong Theist: I do not question the existence of God, I KNOW he exists.
   
2. De-facto Theist: I cannot know for certain but I strongly believe in God and I live my life on the assumption that he is there.
   
3. Weak Theist: I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.
   
4. Pure Agnostic: God’s existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.
   
5. Weak Atheist: I do not know whether God exists but I’m inclined to be skeptical.
   
6. De-facto Atheist: I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable and I live my life under the assumption that he is not there.
   
7. Strong Atheist: I am 100% sure that there is no God.
   

If ayone is interested I am a No 6 and No I haven't read the book

fullywired

[MissJatti]

i put myself at 2.5 position

[Imaginarynumber1]

6.999999

[theotherguy]

5.25

[Professor Buzzkill]

I have red the book and i put myself at a 1.8 on the Dawkins scale. I like his scale, the bigger the number, the more destructive. Much like the Richter scale

Edited March 26, 2014 by Professor Buzzkill

[theotherguy]

I'm hoping for a good range of numbers.

[Imaginarynumber1]

I have red the book and i put myself at a 1.8 on the Dawkins scale. I like his scale, the bigger the number, the more destructive. Much like the Richter scale

Lack of belief in a god does not equal more destructive.

[Professor Buzzkill]

Lack of belief in a god does not equal more destructive.

Sarcasm does not equal my opinion

[Imaginarynumber1]

Sarcasm does not equal my opinion

Sarcasm is not always apparent in text.

[Odin11]

I'm a 6.9.

[Tiggs]

Alternating between 5 and 6, for the last decade or so.

[Arbenol]

Easy 6. Not quite a 7.

[DecoNoir]

Pretty strong 5. Of course that depends on who your god is.

[J. K.]

I guess I would be a 1 with occasional dips into 2.

[Leonardo]

Dawkins "scale" is far too self-congratulatory (with respect Dawkins' own beliefs) for me to consider using. Plus, it (and he) attempts to co-opt for atheism concepts and beliefs that might more readily be considered common to any non-theist, as well as being far too 'belief specific' to the point of falling into the trap of making fallacious assumptions.

Take, for example, his description of the "De-facto Atheist"

"I think God is very improbable and I live my life under the assumption he [God] is not there."

His language - especially the use of the masculine pronoun - is suggestive he is referring strcitly to the 'God' which is the creator deity of the Abrahamic religions. While those religions are very large, comprising the majority of the world's religious population, popularity is no indicator of truth. If Mr Dawkins wishes to consider an atheist as "someone who does not believe the Abrahamic 'God' exists", then he is making a reasonable assumption.

However, if we consider atheist as the antonym to theist, then the atheist is someone who does not believe a deity, or deities, exist - not specifically the deity of any particular religion. While an individual theist may only believe in the existence of one particular deity, the atheist has to deny the existence of any, and every, deity to earn the title.

Additionally, "living one's life in the assumption no deity exists" may apply to agnostics as easily as atheists. Since agnosticism is not atheism, then I do not see how that behaviour can define a "de-facto atheist".

Finally, while the agnostic might consider the likelihood of something divine existing or not existing as equi-probable, it does not follow the agnostic has to apply the same equi-probability to any deity specifically defined in religion.

I find Mr Dawkins guilty of attempting to 'redraw' the map of "theist-agnostic-atheist" - perhaps to grant his own [atheistic] beliefs a greater degree of 'rationality' than atheism actually warrants.

[White Crane Feather]

1.3 for me. Though I reject the Christian only undertones.

Edited March 26, 2014 by White Crane Feather

[Whisperer]

Never read the book, never will but Im a definite 7 because God in any culture is a delusion.

[aquatus1]

I find Mr Dawkins guilty of attempting to 'redraw' the map of "theist-agnostic-atheist" - perhaps to grant his own [atheistic] beliefs a greater degree of 'rationality' than atheism actually warrants.

I don't think it can be claimed that Mr. Dawkins has ever been vague about what he is referring to when he talks about God. Nor, for that matter, has he ever used theism as a general term for anything other than the Abrahamic traditional beliefs.

Let's face it: Most of the issues of any import, particularly the ones that Dawkins raises as dangerous, tend to be promoted pretty much entirely by followers of the traditional Abrahamic God of the Bible. In most other religions and most other cultures, atheism and theism isn't really a social issue. Here in Japan, I only got somewhat curious looks when I stated that I was an atheist. My co-workers had assumed I was the typical God-fearing American stereotype, but they were more surprised at my not believing in the supernatural than not being religious. In Japan, believing in the supernatural is right up there with believing aspirin takes away your headaches. People don't waste a whole lot of time on it.

I actually got more of a disbelief reaction at a different time, when I mentioned that marijuana was not physiologically an addictive drug.

Myself, I fall in the 5 category. I might be a 6, but I can't say I have ever been in a situation where the decision to assume God doesn't exist was ever a primary concern.

[quiXilver]

solid 4

[+Paranoid Android]

I don't think anyone would be surprised that I'm #1 on the Dawkins scale

Edited March 27, 2014 by Paranoid Android

[thedutchiedutch]

In the "God Delusion" Richard Dawkins made a scale to assess your beliefs or lack of them ,how do you rate your self

1. Strong Theist: I do not question the existence of God, I KNOW he exists.
   
2. De-facto Theist: I cannot know for certain but I strongly believe in God and I live my life on the assumption that he is there.
   
3. Weak Theist: I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.
   
4. Pure Agnostic: God’s existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.
   
5. Weak Atheist: I do not know whether God exists but I’m inclined to be skeptical.
   
6. De-facto Atheist: I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable and I live my life under the assumption that he is not there.
   
7. Strong Atheist: I am 100% sure that there is no God.
   

If ayone is interested I am a No 6 and No I haven't read the book

fullywired

I like to say I am a 7 but in fact I have no proof of the non-existence of God so I have to say I am a 6.

If I claim to be a 7 I am just as bad as 1

[+Liquid Gardens]

Heavy 6-ish for me.

perhaps to grant his own [atheistic] beliefs a greater degree of 'rationality' than atheism actually warrants.

And what degree exactly of rationality does atheism actually warrant? Unless you're talking about full-on #7 atheism, which Dawkins specifically says in his book is not how he ranks himself, it seems all the other atheism-side scores are fairly rational positions, and certainly no worse than their theism counterparts.

[Davros of Skaro]

#6

There was a multi panel debate where Dawkins said "The inteligencia knows there is no God", and the audience let out a collective gasp.I think it would make a humorous ring tone.

Man made God in Man's own image.

[Leonardo]

Heavy 6-ish for me.

And what degree exactly of rationality does atheism actually warrant? Unless you're talking about full-on #7 atheism, which Dawkins specifically says in his book is not how he ranks himself, it seems all the other atheism-side scores are fairly rational positions, and certainly no worse than their theism counterparts.

Atheism is, as I have argued many times in the past, the belief there exists no deity or deities. There is no such animal as a "weak atheist", as Dawkins suggests is #5 in his 'scale', because the "weak athiest" - who is uncertain as to the existence of any deity, or deities - is actually an agnostic. This means #6 is also agnostic - rather than atheist.

"Being sceptical" or "being uncertain" does not mean "believing a deity, or deities, do not exist", but means "I'm waiting on the evidence before I give any claim credence".

So, the only position on Dawkins 'scale' which is actually atheist, is #7

Edited March 27, 2014 by Leonardo

[Border Collie]

Interesting, and a flaw in the scale, to note that most Buddhists would probably have to put themselves in 6.