Daily Excerpt: How to Argue with an Atheist (Brink): Arguing in Circles

 

Excerpt from How to Argue with an Atheist

available online and from msipress.com/shop

INTRODUCTION: Arguing in Circles

 

            It is not how long the book is, but how long the book sticks in the mind of the reader.  My contention is sure to be controversial: atheism is an addiction. According to the national opinion polls, between two and twenty percent of American adults identify themselves as atheists (depending upon how the question is phrased). The fact that there are so many millions of atheists (or so few, if you look at it proportionately) says nothing about the existence of God, but only about human nature.

 

            I am going to suggest a broader, more sweeping definition of atheism: behaving as if God does not exist. Since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, all of us have, at least on occasion, behaved in this way. In that sense, we are all recovering atheists.

 

            One afternoon at the beginning of the semester, a student came by my office just as the posted office hours were ending.

 

 

STUDENT: Dr. Brink? Is this an OK time?

 

BRINK: Are you one of my students?

 

STUDENT: Yes, in your Introductory Psychology class, MW 10.

 

BRINK: Come on in. Do forgive me for not recognizing you, but it is still early in the semester. Do you have some questions about the course.

 

STUDENT: Not so much about the course. I read the syllabus and the FAQ file you emailed the first day.

 

BRINK: So, what may I help you with today?

 

STUDENT: Well, it’s rather personal.

 

BRINK: OK, but I must emphasize that I am no longer in private practice, but if psychotherapy is in order, I can make an appropriate referral.

 

STUDENT: It is not so much personal about me; it's personal about you.

 

BRINK: OK, I was born in San Jose and now live in Long Beach and Mexico. I have been married to the same woman for forty years. I have one daughter. My father passed away a few years ago and my aged mother lives with me. I have dozens of nieces, nephews and godchildren, and one granddaughter. That's my personal life in a nutshell.

 

STUDENT: My question was about religion.

 

BRINK: Yes, I also teach a course in world religions. That is only offered online this semester. Would you like me to sign you into that course also?

 

STUDENT: No, but just by the way you talked in class, I think that you might be religious.

 

BRINK: This sounds like it could be a good example for your first assignment, to come up with an example of an inference. You observed what I said in class, and then you inferred that I was probably religious.

 

STUDENT: Exactly! I cannot remember exactly what you said, but I really got the impression that you had a respect for religion, that maybe you were a preacher part time when you were not teaching up here at the college.

 

BRINK: Let me confirm your first inference. Yes, I do consider myself to be religious, but no, I am not a member of the clergy.

 

STUDENT: What is your religion?

 

BRINK: What is my denominational affiliation?

 

STUDENT: You know, are you a Christian or a Mormon? One of the students said that you were Jewish.

 

BRINK: I have not the honor of Jewish ancestry, but I found many friendly people and much intellectual stimulation at Hillel (the student Jewish club) at the University of Chicago. I have written a book on the mental health of holocaust survivors, so I could see where some students might make the inference that I am Jewish.

 

STUDENT: So what is your religion?

 

BRINK: I am a practicing Roman Catholic. I never prepared for the priesthood because that was a commitment (celibacy) I was not willing to make. I have taught religion in Catholic high schools and occasionally serve as a lector in Spanish language masses, but that is the extent of my role as a layman. So, if you have a question about Catholic doctrine or practice, I can give a layman's answer, and if you have a question about other religions, I shall encourage you to take the world religions course.

 

STUDENT: I want to know why you are religious.

 

BRINK: I really like that question. By it I infer, I hope, that your interest in my answer might indicate that you are searching for a reason to be religious.

 

STUDENT: Yes, maybe, but now I'm just curious.

 

BRINK: So what is your religious background or current affiliation?

 

STUDENT: I was baptized Catholic, but then my parents divorced and when my mother remarried, we were all baptized Christian, but now I think I'm an atheist, or maybe an agnostic.

 

BRINK: How do you distinguish between the two? 

 

STUDENT: An atheist is someone who says that God does not exist, but an agnostic is not completely sure.

 

BRINK: That's clear enough to get the question right on the Rel

101 final exam. So, which are you: atheist or agnostic?

 

STUDENT: I don't know. I just know that I don't think I believe in God right now. So, I was sort of surprised that someone like you, so intelligent and all, could believe in God.

 

BRINK: Do you associate religion with ignorance?

 

STUDENT: I guess so.

 

BRINK: Let's take a look at the deductive reasoning behind that conclusion.

 

• All religious people are ignorant.

 

• Mr. X is religious.

 

• Therefore, Mr. X is ignorant.

 

STUDENT: That does sound sort of stereotyping.

 

BRINK: Perhaps you were using the reasoning of negation:

 

• All religious people are ignorant.

 

• Dr. Brink is not ignorant.

 

• Dr. Brink cannot be religious.

 

STUDENT: That does not sound much better. I guess what I mean to say is that religious people don't use very good reasoning.

 

BRINK: How so? Could you give me an example?

 

STUDENTS: Well, Christians just seem to argue in circles. They say that you have to believe in God because the Bible says so. Then they say that you have to believe the Bible because it is the word of God.

 

BRINK: That sounds quite consistent.

 

STUDENT: Yes, but it doesn't get anywhere because it assumes what it is trying to prove. It's not good logic.

 

BRINK: What would be an example of good logic?

 

STUDENT: Last semester I had a philosophy course and we learned this classic syllogism.

 

• Major premise: All men are mortal.

 

• Minor premise: Socrates is a man.

 

• Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.

 

Now, that's logical.

 

BRINK: It follows the process of reasoning perfectly, but don't you think that it assumes what it is trying to prove?

 

STUDENT: I can't see how. 

 

BRINK: Let's look more closely at it. If we start off by accepting the major premise that all men are mortal, then when we claim that

Socrates is a man, we are assuming that he has all of the essential characteristics of humanity: that he has a body and a brain, and that he is mortal, otherwise, we could not call him a man.

 

STUDENT: I never looked at it that way. But suppose we just started off by saying that Socrates is a man by definition. Wouldn't that do it?

 

BRINK: That depends what you do with the major premise. If you start out by saying that Socrates is a man, then the only way that you can claim that all men are mortal is if you have verified that each and every human is mortal (including Socrates), so the syllogism brings no new knowledge. You have to assume or previously verify in the premises that the conclusion claims to affirm. It is no different from the ontological argument.

 

STUDENT: Well, I still say that religious people argue in circles: saying that you have to believe in God because the Bible says so and you have to believe in the Bible because it is the word of God.

 

BRINK: And you don't think that agnostics argue in circles?

 

STUDENT: No way.

 

BRINK: What do you mean by "belief"?

 

STUDENT: To acknowledge that something is a fact.

 

BRINK: What is a "fact"?

 

STUDENT: Something that can be proved.

 

BRINK: How does something get "proved"?

 

STUDENT: By discovering its truth.

 

BRINK: What is "truth"?

 

STUDENT: Truth is that which you should believe in.

 

BRINK: Do we have an example here of an agnostic arguing in circles?

 

STUDENT: Well, perhaps I am.

 

BRINK: The best way to avoid this will be to clearly define terms such as truth, proof, and belief.

 

STUDENT: I just haven't seen any proof that God exists.

 

BRINK: Well, what do you mean that something "exists"?

 

STUDENT: That it is really there.

 

BRINK: Where is "there"?

 

STUDENT: At some real place.

 

BRINK: What makes a place "real"?

 

STUDENT: A real place is one that exists.

 

BRINK: I think we have yet another example of an agnostic arguing in circles. But let me say again that the problems may be coming from a lack of clarity of our terms. If by a real place, you mean somewhere in space and time, maybe we are not going to find God. He may be beyond the limits of space and time.

 

STUDENT: Maybe I need some help getting over my objection to circular logic. It just strikes me as contradictory.

 

BRINK: No, they are quite different. The examples you have given so far are quite consistent. Contradictory propositions are inconsistent. Let's look at some examples.

 

• Please ignore this notice.

 

• All rules have exceptions.

 

• Never say never.

 

I don't think that the statement "God exists" is a similar contradiction, although many people do have a hard time accepting His existence.

 

(At this point, I put a two-sided card on my desk in front of the student.)

 

BRINK: Please examine this card, very carefully, both sides.

 

            SIDE #1: The statement on the other side is true.

 

            SIDE #2: The statement on the other side is false.

 

STUDENT: Well, both statements can't be true. If side #1 is true, then side #2 must be true, but if side #2 is true, then side #1 must be false.

 

BRINK: How would you change one of the statements to make them mutually consistent?

 

STUDENT: We could make the first side say that the other statement is false.

 

BRINK: Think that one through. If you started with side #1 up, you would accept it as true, assume that #2 was false, which would be consistent with your starting point that #1 was true. But if you started with the #2 side up, you would assume it to be a true statement, #1 to be false, and so forth.

 

STUDENT: Then it would just depend upon which statement I saw first.

 

BRINK: Much in the same way that some religions argue that all others are wrong. If you are brought up in one of those religions and some other religion criticizes yours, then you might take that as further proof that yours was right.

 

STUDENT: Is there another way out of the dilemma?

 

BRINK: Suppose you changed statement #2 to say that the other statement was true. Now, both sides say that the other is true, and there is no contradiction, just mutual affirmation. But, some agnostic might call that circular reasoning. Perhaps such consistency is not sufficient to prove something, but it may be essential.

  

STUDENT: Back to my previous question, why are you religious? How can you reconcile what religion says with all your knowledge about psychology and the world's different religions?

 

BRINK: I can give you the thirty second answer, but I doubt you would find it very deep or convincing. I'll make you a deal, if you are really interested in this topic, and want to explore it with me, would you be willing to come back and see me several times?

 

STUDENT: Sure.

 

BRINK: I cannot guarantee that either of us will change the mind of the other, but I think it might add to our education.

 

I am here to dialogue, not pontificate; to raise questions, rather than give definitive answers. When I speak with clarity and conviction, it will be to vindicate the value of my own commitments, but when it comes to questioning your commitments, I hope to maintain an open spirit of quest and inquiry.

 

STUDENT: That sounds great. Can I come by around the same time next week?

 

BRINK: That would be perfect.

 

STUDENT (getting up to leave): I was really worried that when I said that I was an atheist or agnostic, that you would not want to talk to me.

 

BRINK: And why did you infer that?

 

STUDENT: So many religious people are like that. Like my mother, if I express any doubt about God, she thinks that I am going to hell or something.

 

BRINK: Doubt is OK as a starting point. Agnosticism is understandable as an adolescent phase, but eventually one must grow up. Agnosticism allows the adolescent to feel victorious over the adult establishment because he can point out that theological statements cannot be empirically verified or falsified (e.g., we cannot observe a Trinity with a microscope or telescope).

 

Religion is so much more than doctrinal statements about the existence of God. Religion is all about decisions. You must decide whether or not to revere symbols, retell myths, observe ethics, and participate in rituals. Agnosticism is popular among adolescents because that epoch is a moratorium on adult roles. When you get married you must decide: church wedding or not? When you have a child you must decide: baptism? bris?

 

STUDENT: You mean, eventually I will have to become an atheist or a Christian? I cannot stay an agnostic forever.

 

BRINK: Well, not everyone ends up on one side or the other. Perhaps the most famous agnostic was Bertrand Russell and he lived well into his nineties. My point is that life requires decisions, and as you move into adulthood, it becomes more urgent to make decisions, like choosing one's major, or whom to marry.

 

STUDENT: Well, that's sure true about deciding which classes to keep and which to drop this semester. But, I don't want to mislead you into thinking that I am a ripe candidate for conversion. I don't think that I am on a spiritual quest or a search for God.

 

BRINK: Perhaps a search for God is not necessary. He is not lost; indeed, He is not even hiding. Religious conversion is more a matter of deciding that we will stop hiding from God.

 

STUDENT: I never thought of it that way. Well, I'll see you next week, no wait, in your psychology class tomorrow.

 

BRINK: Right.

Read more posts about Dr. Bringk and his book HERE.

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