Atheism 101 Critical Thinking Class Exercise, by request! [View all]

Le Taz Hot recently wrote to me that I should, with reference to this lesson, "consider reposting in Religion".

So, if you got a problem with that, take it up with Le Tax Hot!

In recent days Vic Stenger has refused to answer a few simple questions regarding the fundamentals of atheism. In more recent, subsequent discussions with others, I have developed a class exercise for those interested in the affirmative, unsubstantiated beliefs of atheists and such beliefs as is implied by atheism in the context of a simple, critical thinking exercise.

The exercise contains an argument and six simple questions with discussions to follow according to the time, talent and interest of the participants. Nothing really all that controversial. No traps. Just a simple critical thinking exercise with emphasis on fundamental, unsubstantiated, affirmations of atheists/atheism.

However, while most DU observers to date have simply chosen to whine a bit about the exercise and me, a couple have been explicit in demonstrating the need for such exercises in that they have denied that the argument is so constructed that if its premises are true its conclusion will follow as true therefrom (i.e., that it is logically valid).

Those two posters are Bradical79 and Wrath of Medusa. That's fine if that is what they believe; it raises a cause for some discussion as to the very first, otherwise uncontroversial, step (if there is interest in such).

Here's the argument with the six questions (steps) following, including my position as to each question:

MAJOR PREMISE:

> IF (A) man was able to originate the
> idea/concept of God through the power
> of imagination, as opposed to reason
> and/or revelation,
>
> THEN (B) man did originate the
> idea/concept of God through the power
> of imagination.

MINOR PREMISE:

> (A) Man was able to originate the
> idea/concept of God through the power
> of imagination, as opposed to reason
> and/or revelation.

CONCLUSION:

> (B) Man did originate the idea/concept
> of God through the power of imagination.

Step #1:

Do you believe the argument is so constructed that
if its premises are true its conclusion will follow
as true therefrom (i.e., that it is logically valid)?

I do.

Step #2:

Do you believe that atheism implies the truth of the
conclusion and that atheists implicitly and/or
explicitly believe the conclusion to be true?

I do.

Step #3:

Do you believe that atheism implies the truth of the
minor premise and that atheists implicitly and/or
explicitly believe the minor premise to be true?

I do.

Step #4:

Do you believe that you can take the minor premise
and conclusion of a logically valid modus ponens
argument and construct the major premise therefrom?

I do.

Step #5:

Do you believe that the major premise of the above
argument is properly inferred and properly constructed
from the minor premise and conclusion of the argument?

I do.

Step #6:

Do you believe that atheism implies that the major
premise is true and that atheists implicitly and/or
explicitly believe the major premise to be true?

I do.

I will be posting this invitation for those interested to complete the exercise at my place in conjunction with this posting to the DU and preserve any participation here at my place as well.

For those so inclined, you can participate at my place directly. Here's the link to get over there:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Maury_and_Baty/

These issues are related to the issues taken up by Robert Owen and Alexander Campbell back in 1829 and by Dr. Dziubla and me back in 2011. Here are links to those debates:

http://www.biblesupport.com/e-sword-downloads/file/7060-campbell-alexanderowen-richard-debate-on-evidences-of-christianity/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Maury_and_Baty/message/24058

Sincerely,
Robert Baty