Reply #16: Most supporters of science are quite comfortable not knowing

[Az]

And much of the argument some of us have been trying to make is to reject the definition of atheists that theists try to heap upon us.

Your statements are very reasoned. But you will find that most scientists do not use the word know in the way you are implying. There is absolute knowledge and there is knowing by way of relative familiarity. The latter is more common in day to day life. But the former becomes problematic in philosophical conversations.

I know I am sitting here typing this. This is actually a very high degree of knowledge. But its not absolute. I could be a brain in a vat being fed signals that this is what is going on. I do not know.

But my day to day experience continues to revolve around experiences here. So it does me little harm to garner some knowledge of the actions taking place around me. Perhaps not absolute but useful none the less.