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Comments
The definition my dictionary gives for atheism is "the theory or belief that God does not exist." This is belief in absence of God and does not include the absence of belief. Using this definition, atheism is not the logical complement of theism.
The comic strip uses atheism to mean the absence of belief in God, which includes both the absence of a belief of any kind -- what I would call agnosticism -- and the belief that there is no god -- what I would call atheism. Using this definition of atheism, it is indeed the logical complement of theism. However, I think this is a non-standard definition, so the point is being made by taking a word to mean something different than it usually does.
Expanded: Unless your point of reference presupposes a definition for "God," atheism can only be logically defined as the lack of belief in any gods. Otherwise, you must define the specific notion of god of which an atheist positively denies the existence.
There are relatively few atheists who actively deny the existence of "God," because there are relatively few believers who would put forth a falsifiable definition.
Edited at 2008-10-20 08:24 pm (UTC)
There must be either a) a definition of a specific god, or b) a definition of a generic "gods" category to which you can fit all the gods man has ever posited. Without one of these two notions clearly defined, what meaning does "atheist" have?
However, you do not believe that the rock is a god, or more probably, you believe that the rock is not a god. In either case, a definition of "god" that excludes rocks is necessary.
The prefix "a-" is Greek and can mean any of the following: "no", "absence of", "without", "lack of", "not" The word "theism" is defined pretty universally as "the doctrine or belief in the existence of a god or gods"
Therefore, atheism should be defined as one of the following:
"no (belief in the existence of a god or gods)"
"absence of (belief in the existence of a god or gods)"
"without (belief in the existence of a god or gods)"
"lack of (belief in the existence of a god or gods)"
"not (belief in the existence of a god or gods)"
None of these definitions make a case for atheism being a "disbelief system" (if you will).
If you take the word at face value, you have "a-" (without) "theos" (god) and "-ism" (system of beliefs). Since theism existed (as a word) before atheism, the grouping should be (1,(2,3)) rather than ((1,2)(3)) (a-theism rather than atheos-ism).
My problem with the comic strip is that it implies a philosophical weakness in what could be only a semantic difference.